Friday Racing Tips from Architect

An ultra-competitive renewal of the Marygate Fillies' Stakes but a chance is taken on Sean Woods’ DAYTONA LADY (best price 16/1) who may have flown in under the radar. She’s a daughter of Bungle Inthejungle and looked very useful when scoring on her debut at Chelmsford last month, powering away once hitting the front inside the final furlong to score by an easy three lengths. That form hasn’t worked out too well but she looked a powerhouse when learning her craft as the race unravelled and it’s interesting her trainer has pitched her into this warm event on turf debut. 

Also, the booking of James Doyle is interesting, who’s four-from-six for the yard this year and his mount is drawn reasonably well in stall fifteen, while trainer Sean Wood has his team in excellent form whose operating at a 38% strike-rate in the last two weeks (4-11). This race is going to be a whole different ball game to her debut success but she could make her presence felt with loads more to come and with four places generally on offer across the board.

Darryl Holland has made a bright start to his training career and he runs PRIMROSE RIDGE (best price 10/1) who makes plenty of each-way appeal with the four places generally available with most firms. She rattled the crossbar in her first two starts, including in the Brocklesby, but put her experience to good use at Beverley three weeks ago when overcoming draw bias and track position to quickly get across and lead into the first bend and scoot home by an easy seven-lengths as she posted a smart speed figure too. Her trainer has already said that this filly will be heading to Royal Ascot so a big performance is expected here and with the services of Frankie Dettori in the saddle, her prominent style of racing and early speed could see her hard to peg back and therefore is an attractive each-way betting proposition. 

The Ralph Beckett-trained GIRL ON FILM (best price 11/2) gets a confident vote to at least finish in the frame in the Oaks Farm Stables Fillies' Stakes. This well-bred filly overcame greenness and inexperience to make a winning start on the July Course at Newmarket last August before very well when a staying-on fifth behind Hello You in the Rockfel Stakes on her next start on the Rowley Mile. She raced very keenly throughout the race at the back of the field and looked to be going nowhere until she found her stride inside the final furlong in which she finished her race to good effect to take fifth. 

I was impressed with the way she saw out her race, finishing with running left despite racing on the wrong side of the course that day, and that form could hardly have worked out any better as the third went on to win the 1000 Guineas. This race is far weaker and with all the ingredients to suggest she will be even more effective stepping up in trip here, she looks a major player dropped in grade and I’d have her nearly favourite for this with the best form offer so she can get hopefully the better of Perfect Power and Grande Dame. 

BELLOCCIO (best price 11/2) was highly tried last term and made a successful reappearance/handicap debut in April, showing a good attitude to see off a useful field and while he’s shouldered with top-weight in this race, he should be able to go very well switched back to the turf with James Doyle booked to ride. Deemed good enough to contest last year's Group Two Dante at this meeting on just his second start, he could only finish eighth but he shaped well for a long way so his experience of this course can be recognised as an advantage and, in my view, looks the class act. He should have loads more to offer in the handicapping scenario and is selected to potentially expose any chinks in Rogue Bear’s armour who steps up in trip. 

THE FLYING GINGER (best 20/1) ended last season with two heavy defeats but she won a competitive fillies’ handicap at last year’s Ebor Festival over course-and-distance from the front and if Rossa Ryan can judge the tactics right, I can see her making a bold effort with up to five places available. She remains 3Ib higher than that victory but conditions, track and trip will be to her liking and there appeared to be no fluke about her latest victory here as she found loads for pressure once challenged inside the final furlong to stay on strongly and score by half-a-length. She needs to leave her latest two runs behind her but this looks a good time for her to do that and at a double-figure price, she looks the way to go in the Paddy Power 'I Love Steak' Handicap. 

Onto the Yorkshire Cup and I am going to take on Stradivarius with SEARCH FOR A SONG (best price 9/4) who gets the allowances, is one-from-one at the course and gets her favoured conditions to really serve it up to the champion stayer in this event. Dermot Weld’s dual Irish St Leger winner was a good second on her return last time and is only rated 4Ib lower than the former but gets 6Ib so she has every right to be extremely competitive here. If she runs to very best, which I’m quite confident she will, there’s every possibility Dermot Weld’s can win this and she has to be the value call at the forecast odds.

TAMMANI (best price 20/1) has yet to fire for his current handler but he shaped quite well on his reappearance at Doncaster and despite finishing last of eighteen on his only previous try over course-and-distance, he was rated 97 that day and has dropped to a nicely-treated mark of 84 here with James Doyle booked to ride. He was a smart horse as a two-year-old in which he beat Riot (rated 92) and was a close-up third behind Pyledriver (Subjectivist back in fourth) too. The winner and fourth have bagged multiple Group 1s between themselves since so there’s no doubting this five-year-old’s ability. He’s also a former listed winner so has proven himself at a slightly higher level and while he’s yet to have replicated that form for David O’Meara, he’s still got time on his side to showcase his qualities off a mark this low and is worth an each-way investment in this tricky handicap with five places widely available. 

I am also strong on DANZAN (best price 12/1) who is well-handicapped nowadays and was an eye-catching second at this meeting last year behind Mr Lupton off a 5Ib higher mark. He’s placed on both visits here since off marks of 84 and 85 and placed multiple times last year off marks higher than today’s mark of 80. While his record of 0-32 in handicaps doesn’t look good, it doesn’t reflect the amount of big efforts he’s produced and, if he can get a clear passage and everything falls into place, I know he has the capabilities to pose a serious threat to all back at a course that suits him very well. Five places widely available. 

FLEETWOOD PIER (best price 16/1) was demoted to second for causing interference when last spotted and while he’s drawn wide in seventeen, he has a nice-looking profile for this race and could surprise a few off bottom-weight with improvement to come. Despite racing off a low mark of 74, it’s interesting trainer Michael Dods has pitched him into this warm contest and it may have been the plan all along. Oliver Stammers takes off a valuable 3Ib and this improving four-year-old can be noticed as a typically-strong finisher in each of his races to date so this stiff finish should massively play to his strengths. This is obviously his toughest task to date but I don’t think we have seen the best of him yet and he’s worth an each-way interest at huge odds. Five places generally available. 

Although it’s far from ideal that MATTICE (NAP) (best price 12/1) has returned a beaten short-price favourite in two of his last three starts, he looks extremely well-treated off 77 here now that his attentions are switched to handicaps and is the standout each-way bet in the finale, the Longines Irish Champions Weekend Handicap. 

He has often shown plenty of early speed in his races and his close-up second to subsequent unlucky 1000 Guineas fifth and Gimcrack winner Lusail looks the best piece form on display by a mile and undeniably suggests that he’s been let in here lightly on handicap debut. He was ridden positively that day which looked as though it paid off inside the final furlong until getting caught in the latter stages by that classy rival. That effort was also at this course on this sort of ground and I think he’ll actually benefit from the drop back to the minimum distance. 

With five places generally on offer and in the hope he’s ridden in the same positive manner against horses who are not in the same league as Lusail, there’s a lot to like about his chances, and he could outclass this field in the finale as his current mark underestimates his ability and capabilities.