Sunday Horse Racing Tips from Andy Holding

CONYERS HILL (NAP) (best price 9/2) turned in a much-improved display when landing a maiden hurdle at Clonmel on his seasonal bow and with overriding feeling that Paul Nolan’s inmate could turn out to be favourably treated hurdler going forward, he receives a confident vote to make a big impact on handicap debut.

Well supported ahead of his first run for 120 days, the five-year-old impressed with the way he breezed through what turned out to be a well-run affair and having picked up the running going best two out, he readily pulled clear in the closing stages to score by an ever-increasing eight lengths.

On the face of it, a mark of 112 seems more than fair given the style he won that day and with the promise of even more to come, this chasing type for further down the line can continue his progress up the ranks.

SCREEN SIREN (best price 8/1) looked a mare right on top of her game at Navan last time out and despite the assessor trying to gain some sort of retribution, Sarah Lynam’s inmate can have the last laugh.

Arriving at the Co Meath venue following two promising efforts in well-contested handicaps, the daughter of Slade Power travelled noticeably powerfully right from the start and having got to the business end full of running, she duly quickened right away up the hill in the closing stages to score in any amount in hand.

Quite rightly up 12lb for that demolition job, she returns to the scene of her previous encounter where she could be considered unlucky not to win, and with the likelihood of another strongly run race suiting her right down to the ground, this targeted race can be the perfect end to her season.

There wasn’t much to split DESERT HEATHER (best price 3/1) and Solitary Man on their clash here last month and in what looks a match between the pair again, the former gains the slight vote to maintain her superiority.

Having her first start for 156 days at the Mallow venue, she could have been excused if she lacked the sharpness of her counterparts in the closing stages but as it turned out, her class and ability proved the key component in overcoming her main market rival late on.

Likely to be all the better for the outing, it makes little sense why she is a bigger price than Solitary Man considering he had a significant fitness edge 21 days ago and, on that basis, she deserves to be played accordingly.

SAN AER (best price 5/1) often comes good when the mud is flying and having proved that point in convincing fashion at Galway in midweek, the five-year-old looks poised to shine again under similar conditions and a track that plays into his strengths.

Noted going well from some way out at Ballybrit, it was a question of would the gap appear in time for the five-year-old off the home turn but when the space did eventually materialise at the furlong pole, he needed no second invitation to seize on the moment and pull well clear of his toiling rivals.

A creditable fourth in the Irish Lincoln over today’s C&D back in March the last time he faced similar conditions over today’s track, a repeat of something close to that form off a similar mark can see the son of Vocalised right in the thick of action once again.

TIME TO TELL (best price 12/1) is by some way the most inexperienced of today’s field but she has shown a fair amount of ability in her two starts to date and with both runner-up efforts having been rubber-stamped with excellent speed figures for races of their kind, Joseph O’Brien’s inmate is a worth a small interest at the morning odds to see whether she can make the transition to pattern company a seamless one.

Almost defying a poor draw in a big-field maiden here on her debut a month ago, the form of which has worked out well since, the daughter of Australia was a warm order in a similar contest against her own sex when returning to the Co Kildare venue five days ago and although she ended up maybe disappointing many in filling out the same position, time may tell there was no shame in chasing home a potentially smart filly in the shape of Alalcance.

No match for the winner in the final furlong, she did, however, travel extremely well up to that juncture and with the speed figure going a long way to suggest she had run to a fair standard for the second time, her ability to handle both track and surface at pace can stand her in good stead in her bid to gain some valuable black type.