Architect Thursday Racing Tips

HEURE DE GLOIRE (best price 16-1) has been held in both her runs this winter since finishing second on debut for connections but will find this grade allied to her eased mark to her liking. Phillip Armson offsets a handy seven-pounds and given his mount will have no issues should conditions deteriorate even further, this unexposed five-year-old shouldn’t be overlooked in the opener and could get on the scoresheet with more to offer. 

The top-weight DAME DU SOIR (best price 9-2) isn’t the easiest to catch right but she’s more than capable in this grade and was in the process of running a good race at Cheltenham over fences last time until making a bad blunder at the second last. That form looks even better now given the winner Vienna Court followed-up at the same venue last week and she reverts back to hurdles in a bid to win this race for the second consecutive year. The nine-year-old won this twelve months ago by six-lengths from a two-pound higher mark and ran very well to finish third the last time she competed on heavy ground behind two horses rated in the mid 130’s. The favourite, Lady Tremaine, looks short enough in the betting and may find it difficult to beat David Bridgewater’s mare, who has the class in abundance to defy her big weight under Brendan Powell.

Later on the card, HELIOS ALLEN (best price 9-4) (NAP) looks the one to be on in the Peter Michael Dixon Handicap Hurdle. He kicked off his handicapping career with a decisive victory over today’s course-and-distance in November when I tipped him for us a double-figure price and he backed that up with an excellent four-length third at Exeter last month despite not looking at all that comfortable on the course. The form is also working out very nicely with the first and second both successful off higher marks since and it is very difficult to find chinks in his armour back at a course that plays to his strengths.