Monday Racing Tips from Architect

STARLYTE (best price 9-2) returned an impressive bumper winner on her second career start where she beat the now 105+ rated Betty Baloo and, while she’s been out of her depth in three listed events since, including over hurdles last time, she’s attractively well-handicapped ahead of her handicap debut here. Her first two attempts in this sphere saw her finish a respectable third and fourth behind useful opponents and in the latter of those events, the form worked out very strongly. For instance, the race was littered with several next-time-out winners as the first, second, third and sixth all won on their next outing and Ian Williams’ mare didn’t look out of place despite being priced up as one of the outsiders of the field. She also shaped up reasonably well in a listed event at Doncaster last time, where she travelled quite nicely and still held a bit of chance approaching the last until the petrol light flickered, in which she was upped to three miles for the first time. The combination of the reduction in trip and enormous drop in grade will very much be in her favour and an opening mark of 98 appears to be essentially lenient too based upon the substance of her form. Furthermore, Ian Williams has an excellent 25% strike-rate here (6-25) in the last five seasons and his mare should easily be capable of being competitive under Charlie Todd. 

The Russian Doyen beat a subsequent winner in a Newbury handicap last month and is respected but TORPILLO (best price 15-8) looked on good terms with himself when runner-up in Sandown handicap on his second outing back from an absence and can get back to winning ways. A smart hurdler, who was rated as high as 148, he impressed when winning from the front on chase debut, in which he beat the high-class Mister Fisher. He did his very best on his just second outing back in a long time to chase home the improving Douglas Talking last-time-out when giving the winner a lot of weight and granted positive tactics in this small-field contest, Daryl Jacob, who has his only ride on the card, might be able to get a first winner since returning from his injury. 

This is a really competitive maiden hurdle event but NORTON HILL (best price 7-1) could be the each-way answer to the event. This promising six-year-old by Fame And Glory won on debut in a bumper event here back in November and backed up that performance with a good second to Paul Nicholls’ Rainyday Woman. He found it too much of a speed test when only fourth at Taunton last-time-out but, again, shaped with a lot of promise. He appeared to lose interest down the home-straight before he finally realised he was in a race approaching the last hurdle, in which he stormed home with plenty of running left to suggest he’s got plenty more in the tank. The drop back in trip shouldn’t pose a problem as he’s likely to be ridden prominently and, with all the course form to draw upon, Jack Barber’s charge could be value against the market leaders with improvement on the cards. 

Sam and Jonathan England have been in great form of late, operating at a minimum 40% strike rate in the last two weeks and I like the claims of GENNADY (best price 9-1). He caught the eye when sixth at Newcastle nearly two weeks ago despite being reluctant to start and finds himself 4Ib lower here with the step up in trip likely to signal improvement. He went close off a 14Ib higher mark when narrowly denied around this time two years ago and while he’s only been seen three times since, the eight-year-old is evidently well-treated and is the England’s only runner and ride on today’s card. He makes appeal for each-way purposes with four places widely available, though William Cody is feared most. 

COUP DE PINCEAU (best price 5-1) isn’t the force of old but perhaps the switch to the Colin Tizzard team and drop in grade will see a positive outcome in this very winnable event under Brendan Powell. It was around this time last year that he powered to victory in a higher grade event off a ten-pound higher mark and his form figures at this level reads an impressive 112221. He was a creditable eighth in last year's Scottish Grand National off a mark of 137 and has ran well on pretty much every visit to this track, placing in three of his four starts, while he wasn’t disgraced in the Badger Beer event either. He has to give weight all round but he is a major threat if able to bounce back on debut for these connections with the form in the book to win this event if doing just that.