Horse racing tips: three for Friday from Dave Nevison

Harel De Marais is definitely a frustrating maiden over both hurdles and fences, but he’s running in the lowest-grade handicap he’s contested yet and Mark Walford’s eight-year-old has dropped to a mark well below what he has run well off in the past. 

Harel De Marais ran well enough at last time to suggest he can figure well here, especially as the stiff uphill finish there would not have played at all to his strengths, and will be much more to his liking.

Even though he carries 12st here, I expect him to be there at the death picking up place money at least.

Hughie Morrison’s six-year-old is running for the fourth time off the same handicap mark and hasn’t been able to win yet, but I am convinced that he is well capable of winning a good race such as this. 

might be very well suited by a perfectly flat track such as Windsor, as the stiff finishes at and seem to stretch him. 

He won his novice scooting around the sharp bends of and hopefully Nico De Boinville will be able to settle him just off what is certain to be a strong pace. 

His two wins over jumps both came on similarly soft ground.

He could be very generously handicapped over fences as the signs were pretty good when he reappeared at Hexham in December. 

Hold Up La Colmine has obviously had his problems that kept him off the track for nearly two years, resulting him coming much later to steeplechasing than was likely the plan. He was a consistent runner over hurdles, and his sole start in handicaps in that sphere was a winning one and from a 2lb-higher mark than he runs off here. He won that race more comfortably than the narrow margin suggests as he idled once in front and definitely looked capable of better. 

Hold Up La Colmine has been given enough time to get over that chase debut last time and, in the meantime, his trainer partnership have been in excellent form.