Sunday Racing Tips from Architect

DARK JEDI (best price 6/1) has been dining at quite the top table in middle-distance events since completing a double in 2020, in which he’s only two-pound above his last winning mark and took a step forward from his reappearance with an excellent but, at the same time, unlucky second in the Queen’s Cup at Musselburgh when last spotted. 

Having placed three times off this mark last year, he was travelling strongly at Musselburgh just two weeks ago, just as well as the eventual winner Enemy, until getting sandwiched at the furlong pole with nowhere to go. The winner, Enemy, sailed through a gap that opened up nicely, whereas Dark Jedi was forced to sit and suffer but picked up strongly once in the clear and the assessor has essentially dropped him a pound which seems generous. 

It goes to show what kind of horse he was dealing with too as the winner was desperately unlucky in a Group Three during the week and he’d have been right on the winner’s quarters at least with a clear run. Furthermore, he chased home the classy Euchen Glen on his only other start over this trip in the Old Borough Cup last season so, provided he gets the rub-of-the-green, the six-year-old should be more than capable of having a say in the outcome. 

SANDRINE (best price 33/1) gets an each-way speculative vote in the 1000 Guineas for the Andrew Balding team. She was a high-class six-furlong performer last term, where she won her first three starts which culminated with victories in the Group Two Albany at Royal Ascot and Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes on the July Course. 

This filly by Bobby’s Kitten has been strong at the finish in all her starts to date and has beaten Hello You three times and Cachet once, so I cannot see why she’s bigger in the betting than nearly both despite being unproven over the distance. Her unbeaten record came to an end when runner-up in the Lowther Stakes but she lost little in defeat, likewise to when last spotted, where she was third behind Tenebrism in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes. 

Of course, the winner was impressive, but Sandrine was sent off 3/1 that day whereas today’s favourite was 14/1 so the odds between the two look insulting here, especially when you reflect on where Andrew Balding’s filly had to come from in that aforementioned event. The winner, Tenebrism, had a smooth passage on the stands-rail, unlike the former, who had no cover drawn out-wide in the car park but came home very strongly to take third, beaten only four lengths, to take her career record to 11123. 

While all of her form has been over six-furlongs, I think she has possibilities of improving for the extra couple of furlongs given how strongly she’s been in the backend sectionals of her races. Admittedly, she’s been on the drift all morning but she’s drawn in thirteen so will avoid any possible carnage and that should allow David Probert to get her settled in behind the pacesetters with plenty of cover. Whether she will see out this stiff mile, only time will tell, but she’s a high-class filly, who will do her best and, at the forecast odds, she has every chance of exceeding market expectations with four places generally available

DESERT ANGEL (best price 3/1) has far more experience than most of these and the only previous time she competed on good to firm ground, she finished third behind Fall Of Rome and Neptune Legend. He won two nurseries back in September, including here in a class-two, and shaped encouragingly when third at Musselburgh two weeks ago, where he was drawn wide and caught further back than ideal before staying on strongly to only be beaten half-a-length. 

His performance deserved some recognition considering he lost two shoes and was hanging right inside the furlong, while the winner ran well at this course yesterday. He has gone up a couple of pounds but the step up in trip looks tailor-made for him and Ryan Moore, who was the last successful jockey on him, is reunited in the saddle. His mount can put his vital experience and course-winning form to good use and get the better of the rest, including Super Stars, who needs to improve. 

DUNGAR GLORY (best price 10/1) was yet to finish outside the top two in three novice starts before running a big race to finish fifth in a one mile listed event here in October which was her first start on the turf. She looked in need of her reappearance at Wolverhampton last time when only fifth and I’m not quite sure why Siamsa is lower than her in the betting considering she was comfortably behind the former when the pair previously clashed here, albeit that was over a mile. Ryan Sexton, however, takes off a valuable seven-pounds and, with more to come on just her second start on the turf, she makes plenty of each-way appeal dropped in class off a mark that doesn’t look overly-excessive.