Monday Horse Racing Tips from Andy Holding

SPECIAL PROTECTOR (best price 4/1) was a bit short of room at vital stages of her latest encounter at Navan and, as a result, she ended up being a bit-part player, but hopefully this time around she will receive a more favourable rub of the green and prove she remains a potentially well handicapped horse.

A clear second best at Clonmel the time before despite being given way too much to do, the daughter of The Gurkha was once again set a stiff task at the Co Meath venue 12 days ago and after meeting all kinds of trouble inside the final three furlongs, she kept on well in the closing stages to gain some sort of respectability.

Still 0-16, she clearly comes with risks attached, but she has been clearly running better than her form figures suggest and, with her yard continuing to thrive, it could well be that today is the point the tide finally turns.

FARASI LANE (best price 16/1) could never land a blow at Epsom last time out having languished in the rear in a slowly run affair, but a return to the all-weather might see him in a better light and he is worth a small each-way interest at the morning prices to justify that view.

A busy boy through the summer, Tom Ward’s inmate has managed to win twice, and he was backed to do so again at the Surrey venue 15 days ago. Unfortunately, a slow start and a poor track position meant he never looked likely to justify second favouritism but at least he did run on in the latter stages with a degree of purpose to suggest he remains in reasonably decent shape.

Prior to that slight blip, the five-year-old had run extremely well in two racing league events at Windsor and Wolverhampton respectably and if you also factor in his effort from a poor draw over today’s back in May, his overall body of work entitles him more respect than the market affords him.

ALGHEED (best price 25/1) may have only beaten one of her five opponents home here last time out, but when you consider she didn’t get the clearest of runs and was entitled to need the run after a break, her effort in defeat gives her a better chance of making a bigger impact on her return visit than her morning odds suggest.

A four-time winner on the all-weather, Mark Loughnane’s mare was in terrific form throughout last winter but after a busy campaign, her form naturally began to tail off towards the spring months. With connections clearly settling on her being a project for the synthetic surfaces again, she bypassed the turf season and made her comeback over today’s course last time out and having been held up in the rear of what turned out to be a slowly run affair, she ended up being poorly positioned as the main players kicked off the front.

She did, however, leave the impression she may have got involved had she not run into a bit of a cul-de-sac and with that run after a 168-dat break likely to have added an extra bit of sharpness to her game, the daughter of Dark Angel should in no way be the outsider of the entire field on the pick of her best time figures and form.