Tuesday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

SPORTING MIKE (NAP) (best price 11/4) represents a yard that has forged a decent record for themselves at today’s venue over the last few seasons and following a solid run when runner-up in a competitive handicap at Wetherby last time out, Ben Pauling’s gelding is fancied to go one place better.

A comprehensive winner over the useful Samatian at Southwell the time before, it was easy to see why the son of Walk In The Park was a warm order to repeat the dose at the Yorkshire venue a month later, but as it turned out, things didn’t quite work out in his favour.

Once again held up towards the rear, he ended up giving away a vital tactical position to the eventual winner and even though he did his level best to rectify the situation close home, the dye was already cast. 
Rated better than the bare result would suggest 15 days ago, today’s more galloping track should play into his strengths and, in what could turn out to be a good afternoon for the Naunton handler, the six-year-old rates one of his better chances. 

A three miles on heavy ground that is sure to take plenty of getting and of those well-equipped to prove equal to the task, CLASSIC BEN (best price 15/2) stands out as one of the more obvious candidates. 
Although Stuart Edmonds’ gelding hasn’t won for a season or two, he has run some commendable races in defeat and with one his better efforts coming when unlucky in this race last year, he’s clearly still got plenty left to offer despite edging towards veteran status. 

Had he stayed on his feet that day he would have taken some pretty notable scalps and if it wasn’t for badly needing the run on his first run for nearly a year at Uttoxeter last time out, he may have got the better of subsequent Newbury scorer, Tea For Free. 

Either way, that performance should have served the purpose of putting him spot on for today’s test and, at a track where his form figures read 27F22, another positive display looks on the cards.

A cracking handicap for the grade and it’s one both MASTER ZOFFANY (best price 10/3) and ANIF (best price 11/1) hold solid claims on the pick of their best form. 

The former has a bit to find with Spirit of Nguru from their latest clash at Wolverhampton, but as the draw as been a good deal more favourable for Richard Fahey’s gelding this time around, there’s a decent chance he can turn around the form.

Posted out wide for the entire seven-furlong journey, the son of Zoffany was giving away ground he couldn’t afford to surrender in such a tightly-knit handicap and, as a result, he was always rowing against the tide. That said, he still didn’t get beaten too far and at least that effort proved his previous success in a fast time over the same C&D was pretty authentic. 

Although he’s yet to race over today’s track, at least the surface is pretty similar to what he’s been used to of late and providing he gets the run of the race this time around, expect the five-year-old to be one of the main players late on.

The latter hasn’t yet proved himself at this sort of level, so he might have to raise his game, but what he does have in his favour is plenty of solid track form in strongly run races and that is likely to count for plenty in the final analysis. 

A good winner of a competitive C&D handicap four starts ago, Michael Herrington’s gelding has performed to a consistent and fairly high standard in three subsequent runs and with his latest seen as an upgradable one on account of where he found himself at halfway, he might just prove equal to tonight’s task at rewarding odds.