Wednesday Racing Tips from Architect

A case can be made for all of these but the one I like the look of is EDISON KENT (best price 22/1) for Jessica Harrington. Jessie has two in this race, including last year's winner Guiri, but it’s the stable's second-string who could be the value with the five places available. 

He has struggled in a couple of runs recently but was returning from a four-month absence last time and should strip fitter. He’d earlier contested a really competitive Grade Two and while he finished last of five, he travelled well for a long way from the front. However, the main reason I have selected him is based upon his second at Navan back in September, where he split two horses rated 140+ to finish a half-a-length second, while the fourth is now rated 135+ too.

The third, Bardenstown Lad, advertised the form by finishing third in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett, so it goes to show what this six-year-old can do when on his game. A mark of 119 is very lenient if able to rediscover that piece of earlier form and he could get himself into the argument representing last year's winning trainer. 

FREEDOM TO DREAM (best price 9/4) ran a big race and caught the eye when fourth in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham last month, where he had no right to be competitive having gone down the inside route on the turn for home but instead of folding away, he kept going and stayed on well to finish fourth.

In that race, he finished pretty much upsides Hollow Games, who was mixing it in Grade 1 company beforehand, whilst the horse back in fifth, Party Business, bolted up at the Aintree Festival so the form is shaping up nicely. He chased home Appreciate It in a bumper before returning from a long absence to comfortably get the better of Sam’s Choice on hurdles debut at this venue before improving as the season unfolded.

Peter Fahey’s smart seven-year-old holds the likes of Sam’s Choice, Choice Of Words and, this strong stayer, who has the best form on offer, course winning form and is ground versatile, should take a bit of beating in this race. 

It’s interesting to see connections of MERLIN GIANT (best price 16/1) pitch him into such a deep race on hurdles debut. He was fourth at this meeting last year in a bumper and got off the mark in September before three solid placed efforts on the flat since. This is obviously a tough task on return/hurdles debut but he’s clearly well-regarded and whether this is an experiment for something else further down the line, I think his double-figure odds are just too high to avoid in this contest for Grand National winning trainer, Emmet Mullins. 

GANAPATHI (best price 9/2) disappointed down in Cork last time but conditions were atrocious and the better ground will suit here. He’s the choice of Paul Townend of the stables trio and his mount and Fils D’oudairies are clear of the rest based upon official ratings. The excuses for this six-year-old may be wearing thin for some of his followers but I am keen to give him one more chance, especially upon reflection of his fall at this meeting twelve months ago. He looked set to win a Grade 1 over a similar trip, in which he would have beaten Ashdale Bob and Gaillard Du Mesnil, only to fall at the last hurdle. If he can reproduce his best, he should have too many gears and class for Nicky Henderson’s charge with track, trip and conditions to suit. 

Trainer Willie Mullins has won this five times in the last ten years and I am surprised to not see THE NICE GUY (best price 9/4) trading shorter, who thumped four of these rivals at the Cheltenham Festival in the Albert Bartlett. The form of his two bumper wins have worked out strongly as he had multiple subsequent winners in behind in each of them and he then made an impressive hurdles debut, where he won by eight-lengths. However, he looked a horse with a bright future in the staying division when seeing off stablemate Minella Cocooner at Cheltenham on just his second start over hurdles, travelling strongly throughout before clearing away to score by five or more lengths to maintain his unbeaten record.

I think if that race was re-run 100 times, the outcome wouldn’t have changed in regards to the first and second and that is the best form available here. The Nice Guy, is now rated 153, which puts him clear of these and with the future looking bright for him alongside improvement to come, he gets a confident vote to prove his Cheltenham success to be no fluke and stamp his class on today’s field. 

This is a brilliant renewal of the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup and I am siding with former two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner AL BOUM PHOTO (best price 20/1), who’s unfairly been overlooked in the betting. He could only finish sixth in trying to regain his title at Cheltenham last time but he didn’t jump as well as he can and was strongly supported beforehand which suggested better was expected.

The ten-year-old has yet to win this in three previous attempts but would have won it in 2018 without running through the win at the final fence and was a close-up second in the race for the next two years despite being sent off favourite in each of them. He is, of course, vulnerable to a few of these, but he’s a fresher horse than most with only two runs under his belt this term and, with Bryan Cooper booked to ride who could get a tune out of him, his forecast price from an each-way perspective is more than fair in my view.

Facile Vega and American Mike looked top-class horses without a doubt and were first and second in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham but I think the value might be with the Paul Nolan-trained SANDOR CLEGANE (best price 33/1) who was mightily impressive here on debut in December. He was well held by Facile Vega next time but still ran well to finish a clear second and while he was turned over at short odds next time, he wasn’t ridden aggressively enough according to his trainer.

He’s going to make a smashing hurdler/chaser in time but this course clearly plays to his strengths and I can envisage the gap between himself and Facile Vega being far less greater this time. This son of Fame And Glory is definitely better than his current odds indicate and even though it’s going to be tough to beat the front two, he could easily take the third or perhaps even better that position if one of those rivals underperforms. 

A highly-competitive event and while the likes of Ciel De Neige and Egality Mans are worth a second look, especially the former who should have made it four-from-four over fences last time when narrowly denied but the one who could be a spot of value at an each-way price is SNUGSBOROUGH HALL (best price 12/1). He couldn’t land a blow at Aintree last time but he was badly hampered mid-race and that led to his rider just taking it easy on him which was the sensible choice.

He is vulnerable to younger legs but his record around this venue is solid with two wins and two placed efforts to his name, while he wasn’t disgraced when fourth in a Grade Three on his last visit to the course. He’s lurking on a dangerous mark of 134 and, off a low weight of just 10 stone, he could be very competitive here with nearly all firms paying four places. 

Peter Fahey has a really nice mare on his hands in the shape of BATTLING BESSIE (best price 10/1) who contests the final race on the card, the Weatherbys General Stud Book Irish EBF Mares Flat Race. This is a very hot race for the grade with The Model Kingdom feared most but the former wasn’t far behind the latter at Navan back in November when Noel Meade’s charge got the first run on her and she kept on strongly in the closing stages to not be beaten far in third which was her first run after a break.

She couldn’t go with American Mike on her next start but ran well to finish a clear second and was desperately unlucky not to take Grade 2 spoils when last spotted. Sent off 33/1, she travelled like an odds-on favourite swinging into the home straight and while she didn’t clear away from her rivals when asked to go through with her effort, she battled on gamely inside the final furlong and was just caught in the final stride by Lily Du Berlais. Derek O’Connor gets a second chance on her today and while this is a deep edition of this contest, I think she’s capable of running another massive race.