DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
FRIDAY MAY 1
3.45 ASCOT
HOLLOWAY BOY doesn’t bring the sexiest of profiles to the party but it is fair to say he might be a bit more reliable than some, and his consistency makes him a solid each-way proposition at a track where he has enjoyed a fair bit of success in the past.
Going back to his formative years and he immediately struck up a report with the Berkshire venue, being good enough to capture The Chesham Stakes on his debut, and since then, he has gone on to finish fourth in a Jersey Stakes, fifth in a Hunt Cup and more recently, an honourable runner-up in the 20-strong Balmoral handicap last season.
Not resting on those laurels, the six-year-old chestnut has chased home the likes of Make Me King, Opera Ballo and Quddah out in the desert and with each performance all suggested he is as good as ever, there is no reason why he won’t put in another decent shift on his return to these shores.
HOLLOWAY BOY – 1-point each-way@11-2
4.40 NEWMARKET
An intriuging affair with Cerro Blanco and Stellar Sunrise arriving here on the improve and with fitness on their side, but the one who could easily trump the pair if the lack of a recent run doesn’t count against him is SABER STRIKE.
William Haggas’ colt created a very favourable impression when making a successful start to his career at Redcar towards the backend of last season and not only did he pass the eye test in beating subsequent winner, Cape Ashizuri, with flying colours, the data he produced was also extremely striking.
In posting a highly creditable speed figure, the son of Night Of Thunder stretched out to a maximum stride length of 8.64m at his peak and, with a low frequency of 2.13 sps added into the mix, the metrics very much point towards a horse who should be equally effective, if not better, over further than six furlongs.
Whether that theory comes to pass or he bucks the trend and ends up being a pure sprinter only time will tell, but today’s contest looks the ideal start to his campaign and no doubt connections will have high hopes for him making the grade at pattern level either at his first attempt here or further down the line.
SABER STRIKE – 1-point win@11-2
5.25 PUNCHESTOWN
FINICULI FUNICULA was the best of today’s field over hurdles and on the evidence of his three runs so far over fences, he has done more than enough to suggest he can put his class to good use in a race of this nature.
Gradually getting better with each outing, Willie Mullins’ gedling came good at the third time of asking at Cork last time out and in beating the relaible form source, Wingman, by a hard-fought length, he posted a very smart speed figure in a well-run affair.
The feature of his performance at the Mallow venue was how well he jumped at pace and with the emphasis of having a sound technique extremely important in these big field handicaps, the son of Storm The Seas can call upon those valauble skills in his bid to gain his most notable success so far to date.
FINICULI FUNICULA – 1-point each-way@5-1 (five places)
7.10 PUNCHESTOWN
ARSLAN never really had any chance of showing his true worth in a similarly competitive field at Fairyhouse last time out but there was more than enough promise in his finishing effort to offer up hope he might have a more significant say in today’s outcome.
Prominetly ridden in his first four starts over hurdles, including when recording a smooth victory at Thurles previously, it was very surprisingly to say the least why the well-made gelding was dropped right out the back at the Meath venue and, as a result, he never looked likely to take a hand in the finish.
However, the way he came home in the final half a mile suggested he might have played a bigger part with a more positive ride and if reverting to his normal run style, the six-year-old has the attributes to maintain his overall levels of consistency.
ARSLAN – 1-point each-way@13-2 (six places)