Wednesday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

QOYA (best price 9/4) left the impression she would be all the wiser for her initial outing over hurdles at Ffos Las 15 days ago and with today’s better surface likely to aid her with her finishing effort, Alan King’s filly is fancied to take a nice step forward.

A useful, 81-rated performer on the Flat for William Haggas, the daughter of Almanzor was pitched into quite a hot race for the grade on her first start for 109 days at the Welsh venue, but when she loomed up going as well as the likes of She’s A Saint and Poetic Music three out, it looked like she might pull off a shock. 

Unfortunately, no sooner has she offered a threat, her effort petered out, but with a bad mistake and very tiring ground all contributory factors to her folding tamely into fourth, there’s every reason to give her the benefit of the doubt. 

Likely to travel as well as anything right into the heart of the contest, hopefully this time she can see it out to the death on today’s less taxing surface.

BASHERS REFLECTION (best price 4/1) only found one too good at Fakenham last time out, but having impressed with the way he travelled for the majority of the journey, Ben Case’s gelding is clearly in the kind of form that makes him worth keeping on side until proven otherwise. 

In what looked a competitive enough contest for the grade, the son of Mount Nelson settled nicely towards the rear and when asked to make his move coming out of the back straight, it soon became apparent he was the only one likely to trouble the well-backed Pachacuti. Pulling well clear with the eventual winner, he kept on well in the closing stages without looking like overhauling David Pipe’s gelding but, with the data speaking favourably regarding the strength of the race, his performance reads better than his victory at Warwick previously. 

Based on that display, today’s trip and ground are ideal for the six-year-old chestnut and having run well over an inadequate trip on his only previous outing at the Midland venue, he rates a strong choice to put up another bold show.

BOWERMAN (best price 11/4) looked on good terms with himself when regaining winning ways here last week and with today’s task seemingly no greater on his return visit, the evergreen nine-year-old can record career victory number 12.

A class act back in the day - rated 106 at his peak - Ado McGuiness’ gelding had indicated his turn wasn’t too far away when catching the eye over today’s C&D behind the in-form Higher Kingdom last month and he backed up that view by running down the well-fancied Firstman over 1m4f a week later. 

Showing all his old swagger in the closing stages, the son of Dutch Art exhibited a useful turn of foot to outstrip his main market rival who was three years his junior and with that first success in almost a year likely to have given him a fair bit of confidence going forward, he can go in again despite dropping back down in trip.