Friday Horse Racing Tips from Andy Holding

ARCADIAN NIGHTS (best price 7/1) produced by far and away a career high performance when capturing a high-quality event at Wolverhampton last time out and even though there’s a small chance that today’s similar contest might turn out to be a shade more tactical, Mark Loughane’s gelding can still come up with the answers.

Settling down into a nice rhythm once tacking over from his wide draw at the Midland venue, the six-year-old was noted going well as the field left the back straight. Pulled out for his challenge at the two-furlong pole, the son of Exceed And Excel found a smart turn of foot to glide past the pace-setting Wadacre Gomez and in hitting the line with a good deal of purpose, he went on to post a very fast time figure.

Prior to that smooth success, he was beaten by one of today’s rivals, Inspiritus, over the same C&D, but as he was forced to challenge a little wider than ideal that day, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility he could turn around the form. Either way, he looks overpriced at the morning odds and from an each-way perspective he makes plenty of appeal.

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Time may tell YELLOW STAR (NAP) (best price 4/1) beat a fair horse in the shape of Be Aware at Lingfield last time out and with today’s conditions – like what they were 17 days ago – set to suit him more than most, Gary Moore’s inmate can provide his astute handler with another winner in the juvenile ranks (Saldier one of the stars of the season).

Promising behind the above-average Kalif Du Berlais on his hurdles debut at Kempton back in January (kept on well despite track being too sharp on good-to-soft ground), the son of Sea The Moon was strongly fancied to build on that initial effort at the Surrey venue a month later and, under more testing conditions, he responded well to pressure late on to cement his progress.

Despite being the first of the main three in the betting to come off the bridle, he kept on finding for pressure all the way down the home straight and when the favourite made an untimely mistake at the last, he didn’t need no second invitation to capitalise.

Not only was the overall time figure healthy, but the final lap time also he posted was 5.6 seconds quicker than anything else on the card and with those numbers suggesting he has speed and stamina in equal measures, he is strongly fancied to grind out another result.

Of the other main contenders, Le Fauve has twice found disappointingly little off the bridle so there has to be a question mark about his suitability for a slog in the mud, while it’s worth noting that smooth, first-time-out winner Swift Hawk, was an absentee on a account of “unsuitably soft ground” at Ludlow last month.

DINGLE (best price 11/2) just found the gamble-on Noble Order too hot to handle at Newcastle last time out, but it was another run of the highest quality in recent times and there’s no reason why Julie Camacho’s gelding can’t take this better grade race in his stride based on the figures he has been producing in victory and defeat.

Posted out in stall one on his sixth visit to Gosforth Park, life was always going to difficult giving away valuable ground to the rest of the field and although that pre-race view ultimately was borne out, there was certainly no shame in staying on best of the rest to chase home what looked an extremely well handicapped horse.

A cosy winner over subsequent winner Oliver Show over the same C&D previously, that stiff mile probably suits him best, but it’s not as if he hasn’t run well at today’s track in the past. A creditable third to Irish raider Final Voyage on his only start over today’s mile, he caught the eye with the way he finished off his race that day and with a decent gallop a strong possibility with the likes of My Dear Friend and Larado in the line-up, the six-year-old should have every chance to shine.