Architect Friday Racing Tips

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ALFLAILA (best price 9-1) burst onto the scene as a potential top-class prospect in the making when winning on debut and, having done little wrong in conceding plenty of weight to useful winners the last three times, including behind yesterday’s winner Harrow with Jim Crowley looking elsewhere, he’s strongly considered, each-way, in this step up in grade.

His introduction to his career started with an absolute bang as he gave weight and a beating to subsequent listed winner, System, at Salisbury and that performance alone on reflection at the time of writing, indicated that Owen Burrows could have a pattern-class horse on his hands. His reputation slightly tarnished the next two times but he ran with credit in each of those when attempting to give weight to a couple of useful winners, including when conceding ten-pounds to Majestic Glory at Newmarket, who subsequently landed a listed event back at the same venue. He was then sent to York for a valuable nursery event and did well to finish as close as he did (dead-heat second) having been forced to race wide, as well as taking a keen hold, but stayed on strongly all way to the line. This represents a step up in class, so he will need more, but Dane O’Neill knows him well and with trainer Owen Burrows having his team in excellent form of late, he looks solid each-way value

Armor’s devastating Molecomb win is some of the best form on offer and time-form’s ratings have him officially well-clear of these but despite meeting defeat for the first time in her career at York, the George Boughey-trained THUNDER LOVE (best price 50-1) shouldn’t be written off in haste and will relish the forecast fast ground along with this track which will favour her prominent style of racing and give her every chance of exceeding market expectations. 

This filly by Profitable looked a star in the making when winning her first couple of starts in good style and did well to hold her position for so long at York following a three-month break as she burned down to the Knavesmire and actually had most of the opposition in trouble two-furlongs out before weakening out of contention in the latter stages. The ground was described as good that day but I feel as though it was softer having watched the race back. It seems like she’s been written off already on that one display but I thought she ran very well and shaped as though she would come on significantly for the run given the fact she was off for 108 days beforehand. Her trainer is quickly emerging as one of the leading trainers in the UK, while Rossa Ryan is riding out of his mind this week, too. This venue does seem to suit those up with the pace more than York and, having exhibited so much promise and raw speed in each of her three outings, there is more to come and she makes more appeal than the betting would indicate in this for her in-form trainer and jockey who can do no wrong this term. 

This is a wide-open handicap and I will give another chance to the Richard Fahey-trained SUMMER SANDS (best price 66-1) with four places widely available. 

It might be asking a lot for him to win this race but I wouldn’t put anyone off having a couple of quid each-way on SUMMER SANDS, who has slipped to a career-low mark and might be worth an each-way investment at large odds with Tony Hamilton maintaining the partnership. He looked a high-class Juvenile in 2019 for current connections, who he’s recently rejoined, where he finished sixth in the Windsor Castle, fifth in the Gimcrack and third in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes. He then dominated Redcar’s Redcar Two Year Old Trophy before joining Joseph O’Brien in Ireland. He wasn’t able to replicate his UK form across those shores and he shaped much better than the beaten margin indicated last time which ought to have blown away the cobwebs as it was his first run in the UK for nearly two years. He was clearly the best of these as a juvenile on all known evidence provided and, despite remaining a risky proposition, this son of Coach House gets a speculative each-way vote.

I really don’t see any reason to oppose Kingman filly THOUSAND OAKS (best price 9-4) in the British EBF Premier Fillies' Handicap, the final race on the card, who was mightily impressive when winning at Newmarket last time in which he did us a favour on this column and can hopefully do so again with Oisin Murphy taking over the reins for the first time. 

She contested two very good novices earlier this term which have worked out well but took a huge step forward from those efforts when continuing her sequence of progression next time, slamming a decent field, including a subsequent winner by over four-lengths despite hanging left for the best part of a furlong. That form has even more substance to it as the runner-up won next time, the third has run well since and the fourth won at Wolverhampton so it’s hard to pick any faults in her form-lines. An opening mark of 88 on handicap debut looks extremely lenient and although she will face three other last-time-out winners, she should prove capable of following up in the finale.