Architect Sunday Racing Tips

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DAWAAM (best price 3-1) has a few lengths to make up on Finest Sound from last time, but the race wasn’t run to suit and he had earlier caught the eye when a fine fourth in the John Smith's Cup in July. That performance underlined his talent as he travelled powerfully and was the last horse off the bridle. He was just about to lay down a serious challenge to the pacesetters at the furlong pole but had his run stopped in his tracks, forcing his rider to switch violently left before only keeping on at the same pace. That said, there were so many positives to take from his performance, hence why the handicapper raised him five-pounds afterwards. This race should equally suit his strong-travelling technique with the Sky Defender expected to go forward and set a good pace so, in the hope he gets the breaks when needed, Owen Burrow’s charge has a good chance of reversing latest form with Finest Sound under Dane O’Neill. 

A competitive nursery but trainer Archie Watson has an excellent strike-rate at this venue, therefore, BARGING THRU (best price 9-2) has to be considered. He might be carrying top-weight but his form has worked out strongly, including his eleventh of 27 in the Windsor Castle Stakes, which was littered with subsequent winners, who were well beaten in the race behind Archie Watson’s charge. Prior to that stiff task, he went close at Redcar under a penalty despite doing plenty wrong and now returns from a ten-week break allied with a gelding operation, which could bring about improvement. On the evidence supplied, he seems one of, if not, the fastest horse in the line-up according to the speed figures and, knowing that he goes well fresh given the fact he won on debut, he could take some beating now heavily eased in grade.

I am quite surprised to see Come Quick much shorter in the betting than WHERE’S DIANA (best price 9-1), who beat the former on debut at Pontefract and is even better off at the weights with the runner-up here. Roger Fell’s filly has demonstrated blistering speed in each of her five career outings, including when fourth behind the very smart Illustrating on her penultimate outing, beaten only four-lengths when conceding the winner seven-pounds. Her improvement then saw her just touched off back at Pontefract last time and, with Jason Hart maintaining the partnership and this track all about speed, which is her main asset, she rates decent each-way value. 

The Barriere Prix De Meautry, at Deauville, looks an excellent line-up and I like the claims of the John Quinn-trained KEEP BUSY (best price 13-2), each-way, getting three places.

The conditions in France are expected to remain dry but this filly is equally as effective on a better surface who brings some top-class form to the table. She’s ran some monumental races in defeat throughout her career already, including when beaten half-a-length in last year’s Group 1 Flying Five Stakes behind Glass Slippers. She had also finished third in the Beverley Bullet and it’s interesting connections have bypassed that race this time around in favour of another trip to France. Her keeping-on fifth in the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot on good to firm ground was another creditable effort before winning a listed event at Ayr and then finishing fifth in the King George Stakes when last spotted. Christophe Soumillon is an interesting jockey booking, who’s services wouldn’t have come at a cheap rate, and knowing this filly takes her travels really well on the evidence of her close-up fifth in the 2020 Prix de L'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines, the bookmakers have seemingly underestimated her chances once again here. 

IRON SHERIFF (best price 9-2) has become a bit of a “cliff” horse for us this term having yet to get his head in front, but Roger Fell’s charge has been performing better than the recent form book has indicated. He has suffered a troubled passage on both of his last two visits to this venue, including over course-and-distance eighteen days ago, where he was repeatedly short of room but finished with running left and has been dropped a further couple of pounds by the handicapper. Implicitly, he’s far from reliable from a win point of view, given his hold-up style of running, but he’s extremely well-handicapped and it seems only a matter of time before things finally fall into place for him and he could be the answer today now eased in grade, while the four places widely on offer from an each-way perspective looks very generous.