Thursday Racing Tips from Architect

The Iain Jardine-trained OOT MA WAY (best price 4-1) has been running in better races than this since switching to hurdles, finishing second in two of them and, the combination of today’s ease in grade with conditions to suit, should see her go extremely close. 

This four-year-old filly was highly-tried on her first couple of starts in this sphere in a pair class two events and while she was ultimately outclassed in each of them, her second to Inca Prince when a place in front of Collingham is very strong form as she had two subsequent winners in behind. She only managed fourth on handicap debut at Newcastle but, again, that was a higher grade contest than today’s event and she was unlucky to be chinned on the line back at Musselburgh when last spotted. She’s gone up six-pounds for that narrow defeat but this is easier and, granted similar positive tactics under Conor O’Farrell, she can make the most of the drop in grade with more to offer.

LIGHTONTHEWING (best price 9-1) hasn’t cut much ice in three runs this term but two of them were in higher-graded events and he’s back on his last winning mark which came at today’s venue. He won that day by 11 lengths so he’s extremely well-treated if able to rediscover his best form and, furthermore, he was third over course-and-distance from a mark of 102 on his next start. Both of those efforts were in class-four company so he’s clearly capable at a better level than this and being in receipt of weight from all rivals, the bottom-weight could be the answer to this wide-open contest and appeals most with four places widely available. 

SAN PEDRO (best price 16-1) has done all of his racing so far in the UK in stronger events and ran a belter to finish second in a class-three event in November when defying odds of 66/1 to chase home the 129-rated Seddon. He hasn’t been able to replicate that effort in a host of subsequent starts but wasn’t disgraced in two recent efforts against higher-rated opponents and, with scope to surpass this mark dropping into this grade for the first time, the five-year-old shouldn’t be written off at double-figure digits with four places widely on offer.