Architect Saturday Racing Tips

An excellent-looking renewal of the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle to start the second day of Cheltenham’s November meeting. 

Milton Harris has his team in superb form and, coincidentally, deploys two promising hurdles in this event with preference for the unbeaten KNIGHT SALUTE (best price 9-2). He has taken well to hurdling in which he made it two-from-two in this sphere when showing his customary turn of foot for the second time when beating a promising sort in the shape of Impulsive One when last spotted. His form in general suggests that he should be a lot closer to the favourite in the betting and, with the ground likely to be on the quick side, which is exactly what he wants to perform to maximum capabilities, he must be in the mix in what is his biggest test to date. 

I quite like the claims of ADDOSH (best price 13-2), who is overpriced in the opener. I appreciate the fact that she has a little bit to find on initial ratings but I can’t help but feel she’d have been rated a good deal higher then 109 without mishap two weeks ago given how well she tanked into the race before her incident three out. She had previously shown a nice turn of foot to win in September when comprehensively reversing previous form with Caramelised and looked to be travelling all over her rivals when cruising into contention having made swift progress prior unseating her rider three out in a listed assignment. That was a good race for the grade and I think Stuart Edmunds charge has a better chance of reaching the frame, at the very least, than both her odds and mark suggest, so she should not be underestimated and makes fair each-way appeal at the quoted odds. 

Ideally, OPPOSITES ATTRACT (best price 4-1) would probably prefer slower ground and isn’t the most fluent of jumpers but he looks well-treated on the balance of the form he displayed when in behind some top-class opponents in continuous beginners’ chase events such as Conflated, Longhouse Poet and Latest Exhibition who are all rated beyond 145. That form is levels above what anything else in this field has achieved, while his tenth place effort in the Irish National last time wasn’t a bad effort, either, and he’ll find this a lot less demanding over a more suitable trip. He hasn’t been seen for a while and has incidentally been dealt with top-weight but connections wouldn’t be sending him here just for the day out and he should be primed to produce a very big effort with four places available.

FORZA MILAN (best price 14-1) may have only won one of his sixteen starts over fences but he won’t lack for stamina, has the course experience, courtesy of his placed effort at the Cheltenham Festival last year, and had posted some fair efforts in the spring, including when far from disgraced in a couple of graded affairs. He should be sharper for his comeback run over hurdles and the last time he ran here was when a fourth in last year’s National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Riders' Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. A career-high mark asks more of his metal, but he’ll find this a lot easier in any case and, with that all-important experience of this course to draw upon, this Irish raider has an excellent each-way chance with four places available as one might assume that this has been the plan for some time. 

The feature race of the weekend where Grade 1 winner PROTEKTORAT (best price 8-1) looks to be on a workable mark for his return to action and makes a lot of each-way appeal at the morning odds with five places widely available. He won three of his five starts over fences last term including when landing the SSS Super Alloys Manifesto Novices' Chase at the Aintree Festival in which he defeated the likes of Cheltenham Festival winner The Shunter and both the first and second from this year’s Haldon Gold Cup, Eldorado Allen and Hitman. He’s been trained for this race ever since, has a good record fresh and has course-winning form in the locker, too, having thumped Paint The Dream here last year. I can see the angle with Al Dancer but this lad is improving, has yet to finish outside the top-two in all chase starts and the class act in the field should be very competitive here with plenty in his favour. 

I also like the claims of MIDNIGHT SHADOW (best price 11-1), who ran right up to best when runner-up in last season's Caspian Caviar Gold Cup from a pound higher mark and arrives here in good order having finished a close-up third behind Allmankind in last month's Old Roan Chase. That is strong form in the context of this assignment as he was conceding match-fitness to the winner and he remains nicely treated off 147 here. Sue Smith’s charge is already a dual Grade 2 winner at Cheltenham (over hurdles and fences) and the eight-year-old has the perfect-looking profile for this event. He was also sixth in last year’s Grade 1 Marsh at the Cheltenham Festival, while his record over this trip at this venue reads 112, therefore, I am very attracted to the double-figure price generally available about him with five places on offer. 

The Skelton’s were out of luck here yesterday when My Drogo crashed out late on with the race at his mercy but PROSCHEMA (best price 10-3) might be able to recoup some losses for connections in the Paddy Power Games Handicap Hurdle. 

He developed into a very nice hurdler last term, who won four of his seven starts and having caught the eye when fifth of 17 on his return in the Wasdell Group Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow, his second in a Grade 2 last time is a solid piece of form so he merits strong consideration here. He travelled strongly throughout that event and was only beaten two-lengths in which he was giving a lot of weight to the winner who is rated 148, while Paisley Park was back in third. I don’t think he lacked stamina as he didn’t really lose ground on the winner on the run-in and this represents an ease in grade. The six-year-old remains unexposed over three-miles and now that the main danger from my point of view, Dragon Bones, has been declared a non-runner, this progressive who is pitched back into handicaps, everything looks in place for another very good run and I’d make him a bit shorter than his current odds.