Saturday Racing Tips from Architect

The Kevin Ryan-trained JUSTANOTHERBOTTLE (best price 22/1) thrives under these conditions and last year’s Great St Wilfrid winner has looked as good as ever since joining the team back in 2020, including at Musselburgh last time, where he was only worn down close to home off this exact mark. This is obviously tougher but he beat a subsequent winner at Ripon in the formerly-mentioned race, while his assured fitness and solid consistent form on ‘good to firm’ ground will stand him in good stead.

He’s come close to winning off this mark in the past too given he was a short-head second in a Steward’s Cup once upon a time. Kevin Stott has a good record on him and predominantly goes well in big-field handicaps so he's not without each-way hope with six places generally available and everything else in his favour too, including his prominent style of racing. 

Over at Thirsk, I like two in the Hunt Cup. Firstly, DUBAI LOVE (best price 12/1), representing the boys in blue. Saeed Bin Suroor, with runners in first time headgear, has an excellent strike-rate of 21% and his only representative in this race is nicely treated on her return to Britain. She wasn’t at her best the last two times but the application of cheekpieces looks an interesting move and her close-up third in a Group 2 on her reappearance is good-quality form.

Back in 2020/21 she held her form well in various Group 2/3 events and the last time she competed in a handicap in the UK was when she finished third in the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot under a big weight off a mark of 101. The Night Of Thunder mare gets into this off a three-pound lower mark and Dougie Costello, who is an interesting jockey, has been booked to ride. His mount is drawn well in stall six and if she’s on her game, she ought to be very competitive here. Four places generally available. 

ON A SESSION (best price 14/1) remains winless for David Barron in twelve starts but that doesn’t justify how many times he’s come close to opening his account for connections and, if things fall into place, today could be the day he gets his head in front. He was smart when trained in Ireland and since joining his current boss, he’s placed six times off either higher marks or just slightly lower marks at this sort of level, including in this race last year.

He was having just his second start for David when running a blinder to finish fourth off a mark of 92 and then went onto finish third at Epsom, second at Galway and fourth at Musselburgh off marks of 92, 90 and 92. He’s run well to place the last two times off 89 and is rated two-pound lower than when fourth in this last year so there’s a lot to like about his chances. A good draw in stall four, allied to connections knowing more about him this time round, could prove to be the difference in the outcome, especially being four-pound better off with Astro King too. Again, four places are generally available. 

NOTRE BELLE BETE (best price 15/2) looks well with a chance on return to the turf, who’s been at the top of his game of late, in which he took his record to three-from-three on the all-weather. Andrew Balding’s charge ran quite well to finish ninth of 22 in the Lincoln on his penultimate outing and got back to winning ways at Kempton last time despite conceding first run to the runner-up. He’s yet to win on the turf but hasn’t had that many attempts on it and he looks thrown in here off 92 having defied this mark with a bit to spare last time on the all-weather. He makes appeal for each-way purposes in a competitive contest as he bids to make it four wins from his last five starts for last year’s winning trainer. 

MITCHOUKA (best price 11/1) couldn’t really make much of an impact in two attempts in this sphere this year but this classy chaser who won a valuable pot earlier in the year shaped quite well when fifth behind Delta Work in the main event at the Cheltenham Festival and will find this easier. It’s interesting to note that connections bypassed two similar contests with him at this meeting earlier in the week to run in this one and he’s a horse who will appreciate the return to quicker ground too.

The eight-year-old actually remains the highest rated runner in the field at 140 and is open to further improvement in this venture so, at the forecast odds, he could offer some good value with a chance of outclassing these if able to build the initial promise he displayed last-time-out with course-specialist Keith Donoghue maintaining the partnership. 

PLAN OF ATTACK (NAP) (best price 11/2) has an excellent each-way chance with four places widely on offer following a string of placed efforts in cross-country events. The nine-year-old placed at the Cheltenham Festival for the second time this year (should have been three last year) when losing nothing in defeat when a clear third behind Tiger Roll and Delta Work last month and returns to handicapping off a very fair mark of 134 with conditions right up his street.

He’s six-pound lower than when fourth in the 2020 Kim Muir and would have gone close in last year’s renewal off 138 without falling at the third last fence. He’s since put together three solid efforts in the cross-country sphere at Cheltenham and it’s fascinating to note that connections bypassed all the cross-country events this week to take aim at this wide-open handicap event. His win strike-rate doesn’t reflect the ability and the good efforts in defeat he has in the locker and, with most of his rivals either getting no younger or needing to improve in this grade, this offers him a gilt-edged opportunity to make a serious impact and potentially return to the winner’s enclosure. 

ROMAIN DE SENAM (best price 14/1) ran a lot better than his finishing position suggested when tenth in the Grand National and while he failed to stay the distance, the return to an easy three-miles on decent ground makes him a dangerous horse to discount off his last winning mark. David Pipe is prone to getting horses to peak in these sort of events and this ten-year-old ran well to finish third in the Grade 3 Close Brothers Handicap Chase last year off a mark of 148, which was his last try over this trip, so he’s evidently well-handicapped off 138 here. If he can build upon his latest display, it wouldn’t come as a shock if he were to outrun his double-figure odds under David Noonan.

Aidan O'Brien's second-string, POINT LONSDALE (best price 11/1), should not be taken lightly based upon his only defeat of his career to the favourite and gets quite a confident each-way vote in the 2,000 Guineas with four places widely on offer. Held in high regard by Aidan O’Brien, who had a tall reputation as a two-year-old, he might have lost his unbeaten record when Native Trail beat him by three-lengths in the National Stakes but he was sent off 8/13 favourite that day so better was clearly expected. 

He’s by Australia, a former Derby winner, so while he will probably be better over further later into the season, the pace he shown to date suggests he’ll have no problem with the one-mile distance this weekend. He’s a smooth traveller, who appears to have plenty of attributes and gets the services of Frankie Dettori this weekend. He’s drawn reasonably well in stall eleven and while he’s unproven on the course, he seems a well-balanced individual who would probably be favourite for this if he beat Native Trail when last spotted. I think he’s got solid each-way claims at the very least and is wildly overpriced with a big season ahead for him. 

The race that Glan won at Fairyhouse looks the best form to follow, especially with Tax For Max, who was eighth in that race, nearly winning at this meeting earlier in the week. With that form-line in mind, I have two strong each-way fancies with five places generally on offer. Firstly, HE’S A HARDY BLOKE (best price 10/1), who was an eye-catching but unlucky fourth in that race mentioned two weeks ago. The application of headgear seemed to have a positive effect last time, where he travelled strongly and having been briefly short of room in between the last two hurdles, he finished strongly to take fourth which indicated that a return to a longer trip wouldn’t go amiss.

Noel Meade has already enjoyed a good week with a winner and a few placed horses here and this seven-year-old, who also caught the eye when just smarting better than midfield in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham, where he would have finished closer without being hampered on the final bend, looks poised to make another bold bid on return to this course for the first time since winning his maiden hurdle.

 Meanwhile, LA PRIMA DONNA (best price 10/1) only just failed to get up in the closing stages where she produced a strong surge to get within half a winner to the winner a couple of weeks ago at Fairyhouse and that was a smart effort for one with such little experience of big-field handicaps. On the evidence of how well she travelled despite being caught out-wide before doing her best work late on suggests she’s crying out for a step up in distance. Willie Mullins has once again had a phenomenal week and with Bryan Cooper retained for the ride, she has every chance of going one better granted luck in-running with more to come.