Architect Monday Racing Tips

MANINSANE (best price 4-1) might need to be renamed ‘I am insane’ having hit the deck in two of his last four hurdle starts, including a final-flight fall when looking poised to strike at Doncaster last time but he’s been given a good break since and, on the face of it, this looks a lot easier. He’d previously ran well when a close-up eighth in a big-field at Cheltenham on handicap debut, exhibiting so much promise despite Paul O’Brien committing him sooner than ideal as the pair made a decisive move to lead the field off the home-bend. He still held every chance jumping the final flight but stuck to his guns once headed to be beaten only four-lengths at the post. The seven-year-old has yet to finish outside the frame in all starts in this grade with form figures reading 23F1F and, assuming he can keep his concentration on the job in hand, Theo Gillard’s mount could gain some compensation at the main expense of Kerry Lee’s Black Poppy. 

Milton Harris has really made a name for himself this term and has a really good batch of nice prospects in his yard, including TECHNOLOGICAL (best price 16-1), who was rated as high as 89 on the flat, and shaped with a lot of promise when third on hurdles debut. He looked in need of the experience on his first go in this sphere, where he looked very green, but stayed on strongly to take third. It’s far from ideal arriving here on the back of a 500+ day absence, but Kevin Jones takes off a handy three-pounds and he was much the best of these on the level, too. His team is in very good form as well so, if ready to roll, this classy ex-flat performer looks an attractive each-way bet in this maiden hurdle event. 

Over to Ireland now, and I have a really strong fancy in the Bar One Racing Rated Novice Hurdle, BOLD GETAWAY (NAP) (best price 6-4) for the Gordon Elliott team. The six-year-old ran a tremendous race to finish fourth of 20 on stable/hurdle debut towards the backend of 2020 and that form is ridiculously strong, given the winner Gaillard Du Mesnil, developed into a Grade 1 winner, the second, Mr Incredible, beat a good field on chase debut before finishing second at Newbury in a Grade 2 and the third, Magic Daze, was second at the Cheltenham Festival and was subsequently third in a Grade 2 over fences behind Concertista. He then returned from a year on the sidelines to finish second in a bumper before a return to hurdles saw him win a highly-competitive maiden hurdle at Limerick. That form has a lot of substance, too, as he beat two last-time-out winners who were back in third and fourth, while the runner-up ran well on British soil last week. None of the remainder in the field can boast comparable form and, being open to further improvement, he gets a confident vote to follow-up here. 

An excellent turnout for this Hunter Chase and I very much like the look of the returning COUSIN PASCAL (best price 7-2), who was impressive when winning the Foxhunters' at Aintree in April and has been in good heart in point-to-points since for connections. The ten-year-old had subsequent winner Cat Tiger back in third, who won a strong handicap at Ascot last week, and that form-line is the best on offer. This trip might be on the short side but he’s likely to be ridden prominently under excellent rider James King and, while Stratagem is the clear highest-rated runner in the field, this excellent chaser looks a really good each-way bet here.