Thursday Horse Racing Tips from Andy Holding

RUN THE JEWELS (best price 8/1) ran out an impressive winner of this race last year and having been brought along steadily with a view to peaking at the right time for a repeat bid, the six-year-old rates a confident choice to execute the plan.

Drawn in the widest stall twelve months ago, you could have forgiven the son of Lawman if he hadn’t featured in the finish of what looked a competitive race on paper beforehand but, having worked himself into a position whereby he was close enough to challenge turning for home, he stayed on strongest of all to scoop the pot.

Shaping as though in need of the outing after a 252-day break at Limerick back in June, his only run since resulted in him staying on promisingly from a bad draw at Killarney last time out and with that outing likely to have done him the world of good in terms of fitness, Michael McCullagh’s inmate should be capable of shaking a tail feather or two if receiving the breaks from his potentially favourable inside draw.

PAINTERS PALETTE (NAP) (best price 10/3) arrives here as one of the few in the race with a certain amount of upside and following his impressive victory in a competitive heat at Wolverhampton recently, Michael Appleby’s inmate is fancied to translate that performance back onto the turf.

Extremely well supported to land a leg of the racing league series at the Dunstall Park venue, the four-year-old seemed in an uncompromising position as the field exited the back straight but despite having to circumnavigate the entire field around the home bend, he still quickened up best to win going away.

Clearly in the rudest of health on the evidence of that display, it will take a good one to lower his colours if in the same sort of mood.

BRAVE TROOP (best price 7/2) came from another postcode to force himself into a three-way photo over seven furlongs here the other day and with an extra two furlongs on his return visit seen as a major plus, Barry Fitzgerald’s inmate looks booked to go well again.

Never a factor in the BMW Mile at Galway previously, the four-year-old was well backed in search of a retrieval mission when dropping back in trip two days ago and although he almost pulled off an unlikely victory with a strong challenge from the back of the field late on, ultimately seven furlongs proved just an insufficient test.

A winner over 1m2f on heavy ground at Navan earlier in the campaign, a return to something along those lines makes plenty of sense and having at least proven he handles today’s track with his narrow margin defeat, the combination of those two factors tips the balance in his favour.

JABBAR (best price 5/1) arrives here with a profile of a seriously improving type, and with today’s race likely to be run at a decent clip with Vischio and Oriole in the line-up, the hat trick rates a very strong possibility.

A convincing winner of a competitive Killarney handicap in July, the son of Galileo Gold clearly enjoyed the step up in trip that day and it was a similar story at Roscommon last time out. Towards the rear with plenty to do as the field turned for home, he found the necessary requirements to run down his rivals in the final two furlongs and on a night when it was virtually impossible to make up ground from the back of the field, his performance deserved a massive upgrade.

On the evidence of his last two runs, he is clearly a horse who covers plenty of ground once in full cry and providing he is reasonably well positioned turning for home, he can put that weapon to good use.

CHARMING STAR (best price 11/2) ran exceptionally well for a 50/1 shot on debut at Navan earlier this month and with expected improvement to come, Tom McCourt’s gelding can play an even more significant role in this similar contest.

Unraced when in the care of William Haggas over in the UK, he joined a stable not renown for production first time out maiden winners in Ireland and although that stat was kept intact at the Co Meath venue, he did more than enough to suggest he could buck the trend further down the line.

In what turned out to be a well-run race of its kind, the son of Sea The Stars stayed on extremely well inside the final half a mile to finish just on the heels of the main players and with the time figure good and the sixth going on to win next time out, the form in the context of today’s race reads well.

Based on that opening effort, he has nothing to find with some of today’s leading fancies and at the morning odds, he makes plenty of each-way appeal.

WAR IN HEAVEN (best price 12/1) has quickly established himself into a top-quality all-weather performer and having coped admirably well with a drop back to tonight’s C&D last time out, a third win at the track isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.

A proper money spinner for connections during the winter months, Michael Appleby’s inmate was threatening to lose his way to degree until bouncing back to his best form on his first visit to the Essex track for year two starts ago and although faced with a career high mark on his return two weeks later, he still managed to come up with the goods.

A little outpaced turning for home, once straightening for the judge his stamina really began to take effect and, in the end, he ultimately ran out a cosy winner. Up slightly in grade again, he will obviously need to raise his game to another level, but such is his attitude and liking for this surface, it wouldn’t come as a massive shock if he were to prove equal to the task.