Sunday Racing Tips from Architect

The Donald McCain-trained GEROMINO (NAP) (best price 7-4) has to give lumps of weight to his two rivals on chase debut but he’s a class above these based upon official ratings and the form available and should prove tough to beat. He is likely to go from the front here, in which he might be able to dominate his rivals by controlling the pace. The six-year-old wasn’t at his best the last two times in that sphere but had earlier pushed the 156-rated Tommy’s Oscar close and was rated 133 over hurdles, whereas his two rivals were rated no higher than 112 so, while it’s a little guesswork as to how he will take to the obstacles, if he can put in a clean round of jumping, his class should prove decisive in the latter stages.

YES INDEED (best price 6-1) looked the winner for much of the contest when second at Newbury last time, as he jumped and travelled smoothly throughout and looked all over the eventual winner Nestor Park before finding less than expected off the bridle. Going back and watching that race it could be the fact that he didn’t stay the 2m6f distance so the drop back to 2m3f here looks like a good move. This course should play to his strengths and a reproduction of that latest display today might well suffice for a horse who’s open to improvement on just his third start for connections. 

Onto the Ulster National and I have two suggestions with the five places widely available for each of them by most firms. The first one I like is FORT WORTH TEXAS (best price 16-1), who was smart over hurdles and has shaped promisingly in all three chase starts, placing in two of them too. She’s another going significantly up in trip but her form has substance and I find it even more interesting that connections have gone for this rather than a race at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this week, in which she contested the Grade 2 Mares’ Novices Hurdle twelve months ago. Jack Foley is an excellent jockey booking, taking off 3Ib, and I can see his mount running a big race if staying the trip off a nice mark for her handicap debut. 

The second one at quite a big price is SOUTHERNER (best price 25-1), who hasn’t been seen for over a year but has been trained for this race. He’s very lightly-raced considering he’s a twelve-year-old and impressed on his chase debut when last spotted, where he jumped well and cruised into contention before powering clear under a hands and heels ride by today’s jockey. Significantly up in trip, this must surely have been a culmination plan as he could have been found a much easier target elsewhere, while his record after a long break is really good too. An opening handicap mark of 125 looks about right for this and, if he can return in the same form as last time, he’s not one to underestimate at double-figure odds. 

DEFI SACRE (best price 2-1) hasn’t won for over a year but it’s worth pointing out that Richard Hobson sends on a 500+ mile round trip to contest this event and he’s booked the services of Brian Hughes, who could have gone for The King Of May. He’s Richard Hobson’s only runner on the card and ran very well at Ascot last time in a better race than this over a distance that stretched his stamina. He finds himself 3Ib below his last winning mark and can capitalise on the weight concession from the remainder by landing this small-field event.