Monday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

PRINCE ZALTAR (best price 9/2) came from a seemingly impossible position to win going away at Navan last time out and with today’s race nowhere near as competitive on paper, Philip Rothwell’s gelding makes a huge amount of appeal at the morning prices.

Heading into the Co Meath venue following a promising effort at Fairyhouse, the six-year-old was one of many with a squeak in a 26-strong field, but after a horse fell directly in his path at the last one down the far side, his chance looked to have gone.

Working his way back into contention, he still looked to have too much to do on the run to the last, but with a powerful late surge, he managed to run down the well-backed Music Of Tara in the dying strides to land an unlikely success.

No doubt buoyed by that success, the son of Prince Gibraltar now heads back to a track where he’s gone particularly well in the past and as long as conditions stay the same as they were yesterday, he looks to have a decent chance of going in again.

MAASAI MARA (best price 7/4) not only has a potentially vital fitness edge over his main market rival, Tagabawa, he also has the added advantage of proven stamina over today’s similar trip, so with that in mind, he makes an awful lot of sense at the morning prices.

Gelded after several encouraging efforts last season, John & Thady Gosden’s inmate was sporting the cheekpieces for the first time over a distance three furlongs longer than he’d encountered before and on the evidence of his performance at the Sunbury track, the combination of both factors seemed to make all the difference.

Staying on strongly in the latter stages of a well-run affair, the three-year-old readily accounted for the highly-touted favourite Through The Ages and with his winning speed figure suggesting he’d run to a fair standard, he rates a decent bet to topple his second Godolphin-trained runner on the spin.

DOUBLE TIME (best price 11/2) did remarkably well to overcome his propensity to race with the choke out at Wolverhampton last time out and providing Sir Mark Todd’s gelding settles even just a fraction better than he did 18 days ago here this evening, there’s more than a fair chance he will supplement those gains.

Shaping as though he’d be all the better for his first run after a break at Chelmsford previously, the five-year-old was well-supported to back up that view at the Dunstall Park venue and although he ultimately went on to justify the money in his direction, his victory was in no way a smooth watch for his fans.

Jumping onto the bridle from an early stage, the son of bated Breath spent the first half a mile or so of the race reefing and pulling in the hands of Oisin Murphy, but despite that trait, he somehow managed to have enough in the locker to repel the late challenge of in-form Athmad.

Time-wise, his display that night was right up there with some of his previous best on the clock and with tonight’s contest likely to be run in a similar fashion courtesy of Assessment and Stockpyle being in the field, the decent pace should provide him with all the assistance he requires.