Saturday's Racing Tips from Andy Holding

DANCE TO PARIS (best price 7/1) faces a tricky opponent in the shape of in-form Ehteyat, but on the whole, this race is a far cry from some the tasks she’s faced in recent times and she deserves to be played accordingly at a track where she’s enjoyed a fair bit of success in the past.

A grand servant to connections over the years, Lucy Wadham’s mare found the drop back to Class 4 company working to her advantage over today’s C&D last summer, but since then she’s struggled to make an impact in slightly better races. Last time out, for instance, she was asked to tackle a bunch of top-quality performers in the final of the London Stayer’s Series at Kempton and although she unsurprisingly failed to cut much ice, she still came out of the race with a fair amount of credit.

Last turning for home, the daughter of Champs Elysees stayed on nicely up the far side rail to finish within four lengths of the winner and with the time figure also speaking favourably of the contest at the Sunbury venue, her effort deserves upgrading.

Likely to be sharper for that all-important run and back down to the shallower waters of Class 5 company, it would be something of a surprise, despite her morning price, if she wasn’t good enough to in the frame at the very least.

LUCKY MAX (best price 11/4) looked a horse on seriously good terms with himself when scoring with plenty in hand at Cork last time out and having posted one of his best efforts of his career in a similar race to today’s at Naas earlier in the campaign, it all adds up for Sean Doyle’s gelding to play a significant role in this contest.

Since returning to hurdles after a couple of unsuccessful spins over fences, the seven-year-old has run to decent standard in some pretty hot handicaps, none more so than that effort in the Brown Lad at the Co Kildare venue back in November.

A creditable fifth behind the smart Merlin Giant when dropping back in trip was about as good as could be expected for a horse who is easily better over the intermediate distance and as we saw at the mallow track last time, a soundly run 2m4f is definitely his optimum.

A four-time winner, it’s noticeable all his victories have come on either soft or heavy ground, so with today’s conditions likely to ride pretty testing due to the frost coming out of the surface, the son of Maxios can once again show off his skills.

ANIF (best price 11/2) maybe the oldest swinger in town in this seven-furlong handicap, but he still has plenty to offer based on a series of fine performances and with most of those in recent times coming over today’s C&D, the nine-year-old can keep up the decent run of form for his handler.

Yet to finish out of the frame on all four starts at the Midland track, Michael Herrington’s gelding clearly enjoys coming off the pace with a late rattle and those tactics were seen to good effect here back in November when he came from last to first to score in a fast time.

Third in all four subsequent outings, his latest instalment came when once again seen doing all his best work at the finish in a useful Class 3 affair and with the time figure from that contest one of the best run at the track all Winter, it’s no surprise to know the son of Cape Cross posted a career high effort of his own.

Down a grade and not up against anything like the kind of opponents he faced 11 days ago, he simply has to be involved at the business end based on all known data.

SECRET STRENGTH (best price 15/2) ran a good deal better than the bare result indicated in a hot race over today’s course last time and with the step up in trip seen as a positive for Jim Boyle’s gelding, he has the ability to finally shed his all-weather maiden tag.

Facing a quality field in what appeared a white-hot contest for the grade, the son of Mehmas’ task became even greater after he was seemingly dropped out the back by design, but to his eternal credit, he managed to work himself into a position whereby he was only beaten just over two lengths at the line.

Considering he also did all his late work on the slowest part of the track (up the inside), his effort deserves extra praise and with all his best previous form coming over seven-furlongs, there’s every reason to feel upbeat about his chances in this weaker affair on paper.

PURPLE RIBBON (best price 11/2) could arguably do with an extra two furlongs in an ideal world, but Charlie Fellows’ filly is easily the classiest horse on show here so hopefully she will have the necessary requirements to cope with that slight negative.

A lightly-raced five-year-old yet to race on anything other than an artificial surface, the daughter of Gleneagles stepped up markedly on all her other previous achievements at Kempton last time out, staying on strongly from the back of the field to finish a close-up second to track specialist, Belloccio.

Based on the clock, her effort in defeat puts her someway ahead of this field, so even though she faces no easy task in locking horns with the improving Al Algaila, she’s more than capable of holding her own.