Friday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

SHOULDVEBEENARING (NAP) (best price 7/2) just got going a bit too late in an extremely hot handicap over six-furlong here last time out, but with today’s extra yardage seen as a positive step for Richard Hannon’s colt on his return to the Rowley Mile, he is strongly fancied to gain compensation at a level where he belongs. 

Held up towards the rear after dwelling coming out of the stalls, he still had more behind the in front of him as the field swept past halfway and despite making a brave attempt to claw back the lost deficit inside the final furlong or so, he ultimately ran out of real estate. That said, given the overall speed figure of the race – which turned out to be easily the best on the seven-race card – pointed towards him running a career high, his performance reads a good deal better than it did at the time.

A bit of a cash cow for connections last season, the three-year-old grey worked his way through the ranks of valuable sales races to the heady heights of finishing a close-up fourth in The Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury, and with his latest effort strongly suggesting he is very much heading back in that sort of direction, the son of Havana Grey has the class to do a number on today’s opposition. 

LUNARSCAPE (best price 7/1) just found one too good in the shape of Alpha Crusis on her return to the fray at Windsor last time out but, with that initial outing after a 212-day break likely to have roughed off a few edges, Eve Johnston Houghton’s filly can keep up the fine run of form for her handler. 

Holding every chance just after the intersection at the Berkshire venue, the daughter of Cityscape momentarily looked like she was going to oblige but as it transpired, the eventual winner found the better turn of foot in the conditions late on and she ended up having to settle for a valiant second.

Thought highly enough at home to contest a Group 3 as a two-year-old, it is clear on the evidence of her opening gambit she should easily be capable of winning off her current mark of 75 and with today’s conditions slightly more favourable to what they were 18 days ago, the lightly raced filly is fancied to back up that view.

ARTISTE D’AINAY (best price 4/1) has yet to hit the bullseye in four attempts over hurdles but, as the speed figures of his defeats keep suggesting he is getting better each time, Stuart Crawford’s gelding is afforded another chance to finally make a deserved breakthrough. 

Not entirely disgraced on hurdling debut behind subsequent dual Group 1 winner, Impaire Et Passe, at Navan back in December, the five-year-old has hit the frame three times since and with the latest of those efforts coming at the hands of another useful sort in the shape of Thunderclap at Sedgefield, he can once again count himself a bit unlucky.

Pulling well clear of the rest at the Durham venue, it is worth noting that both he and the winner ran an overall time ten seconds quicker than the handicap hurdle over the same C&D and with that sort of run under his belt, he can hopefully put his valuable knowledge to good use.

FIX AT ALL (best price 9/2) has looked a totally different horse since having his attentions switched to the hunter chase scene and following two impressive back-to-back victories at Ludlow recently, Michael Scudamore’s gelding can prove himself on an even bigger stage.

A shock 16/1 winner on his first outing at the Shropshire venue, he went on to prove that success was no fluke with an even more impressive display two weeks later. Always travelling well 32 days ago, the seven-year-old had the opposition chasing shadows once assuming command after the second last and for a hunter chaser, he ended up posting quite a smart set of numbers.

Clearly thriving at present, today’s trip and ground are ideal, so it will be just a case of whether he can prove equally effective over a much stiffer track.