Architect Thursday Racing Tips

The professional and amateur female riders take to the stage in the opener. Lord P has recorded a couple of comfortable victories on the back of wind surgery and is clearly thriving at present but the top-weight MOUNTAIN BRAVE (best price 6-1) may emerge as the biggest threat, especially if his earlier course-and-distance victory and high RPR’s are anything to go by in the context of this event.

This confirmed pacesetter, another typical ultra-tough Mark Johnston team-member, remains on a career-high mark but has proved to be tough to pass when let-loose on the front-end and when in the mood, as demonstrated twice this season, including over track and trip in May. He returned to form when fending off all opponents at Chester three starts back and did well to finish fourth at Salisbury last time when beaten only a length. In addition, this filly besides the out-of-form Rocket Action, is the only runner to have hit an RPR of near 100 of late and is only three-pound higher than when winning here a few months ago, so she has leading possibilities under the excellent Nicola Currie and I’ll be disappointed if her mount can’t figure prominently here.

This nursery contest has a really open feel about it but David Evans has a really smart filly on his hands in the form of DORA PENNY (best price 7-1), who continued her progression when making it three-from-five at Wolverhampton fifteen days ago and, although this is her stiffest task to date, she’s fancied to make a bold bid in order to complete the hat-trick.

Her career got off to the perfect start, where she showed blistering speed to score at Leicester and following a couple of placed efforts the next two times, she dismissed any reservations about ‘good ground’ when going through the gears to score in good style in this grade at Newmarket. She then matched that form when defying a penalty on return to the all-weather at Wolverhampton, winning with more in hand than the half-a-length indicated as she was eased down in the latter stages once she had the race firmly in safekeeping. Without question, she has more on her plate off top-weight, but is improving at a rate of knots and could be very competitive here.

SPITTING FEATHERS (best price 25-1) was out of his depth in the Gimcrack when last spotted but, this is much easier, and given how many times Kevin Ryan has had plenty of participants run well in this over the years, this two-year-old is an each-way player with up to five places on offer.

The form of Ever Given’s York victory has been boosted by the second and third, who placed at listed/Group level since, but the selection looks too big a price to dismiss. His fifth on debut at York has been strongly advertised by the winner Lusail and seventh - Dark Moon Rising before opening his account at Carlisle impressively. He’ll need to bounce back from his performance last time but I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially knowing that was one of the hottest two-year-old Group 2’s this term. His trainer won this race in 2013 and 2018 so being the only representative for Kevin Ryan this time around, he is overpriced and rates fair each-way value at the current odds

The market leader, Inspiral, impressed when scoring on debut at Newmarket and took a rise in class in her stride when landing a listed event last time out. She has the potential to reach the very top but the Ralph Beckett-trained PROSPEROUS VOYAGE (best price 7-1) has been seriously unlucky the last two times and can emerge as the biggest threat to the odds-on favourite providing she gets a clear passage.

Her victory over a subsequent winner at Epsom looks a solid piece of form as the runner-up Aswan won a competitive nursery in decisive fashion at Goodwood next time. Her debut, when fourth at Doncaster, was another promising display, as well as her second at Chester when given so much to do in which she made up so much ground from an unpromising position to be beaten only half-a-length. She ran a career-best when a fast-finishing third in a Group 3 last month and may have won that without being badly impeded on a couple of occasions which shuffled her towards the rear of the field. The manner in which she’s hit the line so strongly the last twice has firmly suggested that she has been crying out for a mile and this track should play more to her strengths. She may face a formidable opponent in the shape of the favourite, but she shouldn’t be written off in haste and appeals most at the prices.

This is an excellent renewal of this Group 2 prize and I have this between Save A Forest and YESYES (best price 11-2) with marginal preference for the latter, who is the only runner in the field to have won over this distance and that will count for plenty as she bids to give trainer Ralph Beckett a third winner in this event having claimed it in both 2016 and 2017.

There was a lot to like about her victory at Chester last-time-out, where she won with more in hand than the short-head indicated at the end. She travelled powerfully throughout and did well to win the war with Dancing King, who subsequently won a Group 3 to strengthen the form. Prior to that victory, she had lost her unbeaten record behind Save A Forest at Newmarket in July when only fourth but stayed on well into fourth and looked far from the finished article in the process. Ultimately, she has a bit to find with a few of these on official ratings but has proven herself over this trip, won three of her four outings and has the in-form Ryan Moore back in the saddle so she should be thereabouts at the very least with potential for better.