Racing tips: It’s a must win for Coconut Splash with the Paddy Power Gold Cup on the horizon

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Thursday was a blank day. Templehills was given a fairly audacious ride from the front, going off like it was a 5f sprint. Evidently, that wasn't the correct tactic as he was legless when they go to him in the back straight.

Moonlighter is the one which might have gotten away. He was going nicely at the time of making a shuddering mistake. He somehow kept tabs on the leaders and finished 2nd. For me, he will be winning the next time; I think he probably would've won today if it wasn't for that mistake.

Wetherby 2:55

I'm doing the write-ups quite early in the day, so hopefully, the price available for TUDDENHAM GREEN isn't going to be ridiculously short like under EVS, if not then I think he is worth a bet in this Class 1 Listed contest.

It's disappointing to see only four turn up for this race, as surely some 3yo hurdlers could've taken their chance in this, but it is what it is and we've got to deal with what we've been given. For me, Tuddenham Green probably has the best form when beating Age Of Sail at Chepstow in a race which has produced some smart runners like Dolos & Gumball to name a couple. I think the runner-up will have a decent year this year for the Gary Moore stable, and he was tipped up by me that day. He has since gone to Kempton where he probably should've won if it wasn't for his scruffy jumping.

I thought Tuddenham Green won nicely on hurdles debut, despite not jumping the best. With that experience under his belt and fitness from that run, he will have hopefully come on plenty.

Wetherby 3:30

This is a great little race, and a competitive one if most horses turn up in their best form. I like the look of COCUNUT SPLASH who is a horse who was on a lot of people's trackers and radar after running some eye-catching races since transitioning to fences.

Though he is yet to break his duck over the larger obstacles he has hit the frame on every run, being in the top three in each of his six runs, but you can't probably take one run out of that as he was 3rd/4 the time before last and wasn't posing any problems to the winner. His most noticeable bit of form is when he finished runner-up behind Chantry House at this track last February. The winner is a cracking horse who is rated 158 and has won a few Class 1's in his career to date.

I still think off a mark of 133 he could be well-handicapped, which sounds daft as he has yet to win a race over fences but sometimes you get that feeling from a horse, and when it clicks they can rack up a sequence of wins. Evan Williams is a good trainer and has been quoted saying he hopes he could be a Paddy Power Gold Cup horse. If they think that, then they must believe he is a fair bit better than his current rating and the fact that Evan has won that race with Coole Cody, he should know what calibre is required to win that race. Considering they think that I think they will be wanting to win this as there's a high chance that he won't get in that race off his current rating, so will need to go up a few lbs to get in off a low weight in that handicap, so I'm expecting him to be fit and ready and primed for this.

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