Architect Thursday Racing Tips

The two to concentrate on in the Millbry Hill Novices' Handicap Chase appear to be No Cruise Yet and MELANAMIX (best price 4-1) with marginal preference for the latter, who displayed promise over hurdles and has taken well to fences with two placed efforts to suggest a race of this nature is well within grasp. 

This seven-year-old mare looked as though she was going bolt up here last time, where she travelled powerfully and went clear after two out. I don’t think stamina stopped her from winning as she seemed to idle approaching the last as she rallied to only be beaten a couple of lengths once the eventual winner got past her in the final half-furlong. A three-pound rise for that effort doesn’t seem overly excessive and, with more to offer, she can go one better. 

The standout each-way bet of the day comes in the feature race on the card, the Vickers.Bet North Yorkshire Grand National Handicap Chase, where I really like the claims of ALMAZHAR GARDE (best price 9-2), who has a touch of class and is certainly worth an interest with the forecast drying conditions very much in his favour. 

Charlie Longsdon’s useful chaser, who won twice last term, ran a tremendous race off top-weight when second in the Southern National on his penultimate outing and finds himself only four-pound higher than when bolting up by eleven-lengths at Kelso last April. He ran a good race in last year’s Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival off two-pound lower but was guilty of doing far too much early in the Borders National last time, where he led for a long way from the front before ultimately running out of steam from the back of the second last. He does, however, seem to enjoy being ridden positively and, to his credit, he still held every chance until making a bad mistake at the last in which he most likely would have finished fourth. 

I like the idea of his shrewd handler persevering with him back down in distance with his only runner on the card and he’s appointed the services of top-class claimer Luca Morgan, who can offset five-pounds. Based on official ratings, this looks between himself and Sidi Ismael but I feel as though the highest-rated in the field boasts the stronger form, who’s also one-from-one at this course and gets in here off a nice weight with his riders claim taken into account. He's been running well under big weights all season and, In the hope that Luca Morgan can consume enough of his mounts energy for the latter stages, he looks great each-way value to showcase his qualities back at the North Yorkshire venue in which most of this field have had their limitations exposed and arrive here out of sorts with plenty to prove. 

The very well-treated THATSY (best price 9-2) is my recommendation in the concluding race on the card at Catterick, the Happy 60th Birthday Yuff Handicap Hurdle despite just the two places on offer.

This useful ex-Irish individual ran his best race for his current yard when second here just under two weeks ago and it’s interesting to see him revert back to hurdles off the same mark alongside being eased in grade on the back of that solid display in a better event than this. I also like the angle of a return to the minimum trip here, which should suit, based upon the fact that the last time he tackled this distance was when he finished an excellent seventh in last year’s County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Additionally, that was off a mark of 139 and today will see him compete off 120, making him an extremely dangerous proposition to ignore in this grade. There looks to be plenty more unfinished business in this sphere for this very capable gelding and, based on his early portfolio of hurdles work, he gets the each-way vote at a fair price.