Saturday Horse Racing Tips from Andy Holding

The race won by Dark Thirty was an extremely strong one of its kind based on the figures and with the winner and runner-up, Baldomero, already going on to back up that theory, it makes sense to focus on the likes of ABERAMA GOLD (best price 12-1), Summerghand, Abate and Wallop on their return to the same C&D. 

Although there’s a strong case to be made for Summerghand coming out on top of the quartet on this occasion, especially considering how he finished off his race, there is little margin for error at his morning odds whereas the former seems to have slightly overlooked despite his first visit to the Rowley Mile for four years being such a good one. 

Settling just in behind the hot pace from the outset, the seven-year-old threw down his challenge approaching the final furlong and although he couldn’t quite get to grips with the front two on the drive to the line, he kept on willingly for third. 

Although today’s conditions are going to be nowhere near as bad as they were when he posted a career high on the numbers at Doncaster last season, the rain the course has received in the last 24 hours will provide adequate cushion underfoot he requires and at his double-figures quotes, he makes plenty of each-way appeal with many firms offering favourable placed terms. 

NOVUS (best price 7-2) has developed a bit of a love affair with today’s track, particularly when encountering soft ground, and following a promising start to the season in a hot contest at Goodwood, Gary & Josh Moore’s filly can regather the momentum she forged in races of this nature towards the backend of last term. 

Having her first outing for 187 days at HQ, there was always a chance she would need the outing and, in what turned out to be a brutal test against the males, she duly struggled against the likes of Ottoman Fleet & Co. However, considering the speed figure of the race and unsuitable conditions, she didn’t run as bad as first feared and now returning to a track where she has form figures of 121, there’s every reason to feel upbeat about her prospect of keeping those stats intact.

SWEET REWARD (best price 10-1), being the oldest horse in the field by some way, would naturally put quite a few punters off, but on the flip side, he does have plenty of experience of running over today’s course several times over and on soft ground, so he may have a better chance of flying the flag for the veterans with conditions in his favour. 

Johnny Portman’s gelding shaped well on his seasonal bow at Newbury recently, just getting touched of late on by Qaasid after looking the likely winner two out, and he also comes from a yard who are running at a healthy strike rate at present. 

A winner over today’s C&D when the mud was flying last August, the seven-year-old has more in his favour than his odds imply and deserves to be played accordingly. 

CHRISTIAN DAVID (best price 17-2) has the benefit of already having a couple of runs under his belt so far this season and with the latest of the pair coming in the shape of perfectly acceptable effort in a warm affair at Newbury last time out, Richard Hannon’s colt makes plenty of appeal at the morning odds. 

Always to the fore at the Berkshire venue, he kept on stoically all the way to the line and with the speed figure one of the best on the seven-race card, he catapulted his career high to another level. Just to add to the list of positives, the son of Profitable is one of the few in today’s line with solid C&D form courtesy of a solid effort here as a juvenile and providing his draw in stall 15 turns out to be favourable, it’s hard not to see him going well. 

One of the lasting memories of the Cheltenham festival was how well WATERFORD WHISPERS (NAP) (best price 7-2) stuck to his task in the Martin Pipe Handicap despite being asked to make virtually all the running in ever-deteriorating conditions and with the subsequent form of the horses around him that day suggesting it was a top-class effort, Henry De Bromhead’s inmate can ride off into the sunset for the season with a win under his belt. 

One of the biggest ante-post gambles of the entire four days a month ago (20-1 into 10-3), the six-year-old raced a good deal keener than anticipated in the early stages and that propensity to over race meant his pilot had very little option but to allow his mount to bowl along in front. Amazingly still going strongly on the run down to the last, the son of Westerner understandably began to get the wobbles after the final flight and even though he was running unconscious on the run up the hill, he still had the bravery to keep on going for second. 

Both the winner, Better Days Ahead (third in a Grade 1) and Quai Du Bourbon (won easily at Ayr) have suggested the form was Graded level in all but name and arriving here being allowed to run virtually off the same mark, only a massive step backwards from Cheltenham can prevent him from gaining compensation here. Long term, he should turn out to be a fine chasing prospect for next season with races such as the Arkle and Turners possible targets.