Monday Horse Racing Tips from Andy Holding

DUYFKEN (NAP) (best price 9/5) ultimately paid the price for making a race of it with Caithness at Kelso on his seasonal bow and with the form from the race at the Scottish venue working out well since, Nick Alexander’s gelding can take advantage of a drop down in class.

Having his first outing for 184 days, the four-year-old raced prominently in what turned out to be a strongly run affair and being the only one to offer any real resistance to the all-the-way winner right from the start, lack of fitness kicked in on the run down to the last and on the climb to the line.

Either way, he still shaped nicely with a creditable performance on the figures back in third and with the winner going on to fly the flag for the race in a much better contest at Cheltenham next time, not to mention the runner-up has won twice since, the son of Le Havre easily has the best credentials of today’s field off his current mark.

Eagle Day probably won with more in hand than the bare result suggested at Wolverhampton yesterday and must be of interest if turned out quickly, but this contest represents a whole different ball game for David Evans’ inmate up against the likes of COURT OF SESSION (best price 3/1) and several others who have been performing at a much higher level.

Simon & Ed Crisford’s inmate has been plying his trade at class 3 and 4 level for the last year or so and his latest effort highlights the difficulty trying to land one of those competitive mile handicaps. In a race chock full of in-form and solid performers who faced the starter at the Midland venue, the four-year-old was only just run out of the argument in the dying strides but as the time figure was very good and the front two pulled clear of the rest, it’s safe to say he ran somewhere close to his best.

His best figures, however, have come when he has raced over tonight’s C&D and now returning to the same scene that last saw him victorious this time last year, it would come as no surprise if he were to follow suit hailing from a stable continuing to tick the winners over at a decent rate (43%).