Saturday Horse Racing Tips From Andy Holding

ICE MAX (best price 3-1) might not have beaten much in his 11-length demolition job at Catterick last time out but the numbers he posted that day suggested he had run to a very high standard and under similar conditions, Karl Burke’s colt is fancied to end his season on a high. 

A bit disappointing on his previous start at pattern level over today’s C&D, the Dark Angel colt was on something of a retrieval mission at the Yorkshire venue a month later and having been well backed to take advantage of the drop in grade, he duly made no mistake.

Pulling right away in the closing stages, he left the impression he is one to keep on the right side of for the foreseeable further and even though today’s examination with test his mettle yet again, he will hopefully have the necessary answers. 

John McConnell has a habit of plundering decent prizes from the locals in his raiding missions in recent times and LISNAMULT LAD (best price 11-2) rates the value call at the prices to provide the Co Meath handler with another notable success in this race (won it with Streets of Doyen and Bardenstown Lad). 

Really good both visually and on the numbers when first sent over the Irish Sea this season at Hexham, the six-year-old repeating the dose on his next trip at Ludlow a month later – once again in impressive fashion - and he now looks ready to take on a much stiffer examination. 

A bold front runner with a sound technique over hurdles, he looks primed to give it a good lash in his bid to be successful on his first attempt at three miles.

BUDDY ONE (best price 4-1) very rarely puts in a bad shift and following another solid performance in a competitive affair at The Listowel Festival last time out, he appears to have every chance of maintaining his positive set of results. 

Holding very chance spinning off the home turn at the Co Kerry venue, his inexperienced pilot decided to stick to the inside on his mount over the last two hurdles but as it turned out, his judgement backfired in the final reckoning. 

Despite being forced to race on the slowest part of the track, he still managed to finish a close and creditable third, and having gone well in a similar contest, class-wise, over today’s course on his previous start, a return to the scene of that excellent effort back up to a more suitable trip should allow him to perform to maximum capacity.

 

The race won by Imperial Data here a month ago was noted for its useful speed figure and having caught the eye with the way he came home to good effect in the closing stages that day, JEM IN EM gets the vote to build on the promising effort on his first start in company. 

Outpaced as the field exited the back straight at the Borders track, Lucinda Russell’s inmate began to respond well for pressure on the long run down to the last and although he couldn’t quite peg back the first two home, it was still a fair performance following a 139-day absence. 

Runner-up to the smart Carcasi Castle on his only other previous visit to the track, an opening mark of 104 looks exploitable for the five-year-old over a trip that should suit.