Friday Racing Tips From Architect

This isn’t the strongest renewal of the Woodcote and the Eve Johnson Houghton team will fancy their chances with BLATANT (best price 8/1) despite having to concede a bit of weight to most of the remainder. I am quite surprised to see him trading at a good price for the opener, especially with plenty in his favour. He wasn’t seen to best effect over the minimum distance when third at Chester as the favourite but he still managed to finish upsides the second, Self Praise, and the manner in which he rallied in the final strides left the impression that he could reverse the form if the pair were to rematch. 

He bounced back under a positive ride at Leicester when stepped up to six furlongs for the first time, winning in good style by over three lengths and he’s drawn well in stall three for those tactics to be deployed here. I think he’s got some of the strongest form on display and let’s not forget he was sent off just 7/1 for the Brocklesby on debut and while he got going far too late to take seventh, the form has substance as the winner Persian Force appears to be one of the brightest prospects of the two-year-old division this season. 

In addition, he ticks most trends here given he’s won last time, has form over the distance and is drawn well, so the chances are he will try to dictate here at a track that should suit which can favour front-runners if getting a soft lead. Most of his opponents are, of course, open to further improvement than him but his valuable experience alongside all the other clutch of positives to draw upon should, at the very least, see him make a bold effort to score again under Charles Bishop and I have him as the one to beat. 

FANTASTIC FOX (best price 10/1) displayed a lot of promise and ability last year, where he won twice and ran well in some other good races in defeat. I know he couldn’t land a blow on his final start of the campaign in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket but he was an eye-catching fifth on his return in April, where he was slow into stride and didn’t get a clear passage but stayed on well inside the final furlong. He was only beaten four lengths by Excel Power but the winner had fitness on his side and he his eleven pounds better off here so has every chance of reversing the form. He’s also a pound lower here and his second career start when a close-up third behind Snow Lantern and Derab who are both rated 110+, makes him very well-treated off 98 here. Roger Varian’s charge has a good each-way chance with that outing under his belt with more to come and with five places widely available. 

Andrew Balding’s CAROLUS MAGNUS (best price 7/1) has some pretty useful form in the book and ran a tidy race when second at Newmarket last time off this mark having shaped well previously on seasonal debut at Newmarket when just behind last year’s runner-up in this event Hortzadar. He’s five-pounds better off with that rival here and the way he went through that race suggests this mark is far from his limitations as he cruised into the lead and looked as though he was going to bolt up until blowing up in the closing stages. Ideally, a lower draw would have been preferred, but he’s a smart horse who should get himself into a nice position and, if doing so, he could easily make a mockery of this mark. He’s got a good each-way chance on ground that will be ideal and with most firms paying five places.

Pyledriver is going to be tough to beat but if there is one horse who can beat him, it’s Owen Burrows’ HUKUM (best price 5/1). Already a four-time Group 3 winner, including a Group 2 in Meydan, he ran very well in the Sheema Classic to finish seventh when only one length behind the former and that was only his second start at the highest level too. He’s rated 3Ib lower than High Definition but I find that surprising as the former has much stronger form-lines and has achieved more. This race has been a bit of a plan by his handler and it should be run to suit with lots of pace on offer, where he can just sit in behind and use his customary smooth-travelling style of racing to track the pace and cruise into contention when the race starts to take shape. He’s the value against the favourite and has the ability to go close to winning this Group 1 contest. 

The Ian Williams-trained CAP FRANCAIS (best price 9/1) makes loads of appeal in this handicap event. He’s been highly tried throughout his career and was a fine second over course-and-distance as a three-year-old prior to finishing an excellent fourth in the Derby Trial behind the eventual Derby winner of that year, Anthony Van Dyck. He’s produced some big performances since in equally-strong company and has looked on good terms with himself this year with a decisive win and a close-up second from two starts. He’s up 4Ib but he’s got form at a higher level and was runner-up twice in 2020 in this grade off marks of 100 and 101 so isn’t handicapped out of things and is essentially reunited with James Doyle, who won on him two starts ago. He’s drawn well in stall five and there’s a lot to like about his chances, so he could be set to run another massive race here with four places generally on offer. 

ROYAL CHAMPION (best price 11/1) had promise a lot early in his career and while it has been stop-start with him since his debut success, he’s worth consideration on handicap debut here with the potential and ability in his inventory to cause some damage. He was limited to just one start in 2020 in which he finished third to Highland Avenue but that reads strong form in this grade and he was deemed good enough to contest last year’s Group Two Dante at York where he was sent off just 8/1. 

He could only manage ninth that day and was beaten a long way on his reappearance in a listed event at Doncaster but he’s better than that and I feel as though he’s better than his opening mark of 97 dropped in grade here. He does need to take a major step forward on what he has shown so far in two subsequent starts, but he remains open to improvement and, with Roger Varian in such good form, who’s won this three times in eight years, he should be ready to run a big race now with four places generally available. 

In the feature race of the day, the Oaks, and I am siding with NASHWA (best price 7/2) to gun down stablemate Emily Upjohn in the hands of Hollie Doyle here. Since finishing third on debut, she’s won impressively twice, including in a strong-looking listed event at Newbury last time. She should appreciate the longer distance at Epsom and she’s drawn well in stall six too. I thought she would have won by further given the way she powered to the front but she was eased down in the closing stages and, with the ability to serve it up to her stablemate, she looks an attractive price to potentially complete the hat-trick and hand Hollie Doyle with a first classic success. 

Dawn Of Liberation looked good when winning last time but if George Boughey’s OSCULA (best price 11/4) runs to her best, she should be too good for her nearest rival and the remainder, and gets a strong vote to make the most of this ease in grade and strike under the assistance of William Buick. She’s failed to beat a rival on her last two starts, which isn’t ideal, but she’s a Group Three winner and won on this card twelve months ago when beating the 109-rated Flaming Rib in the Woodcote by three-lengths. 

The runner-up has recently finished second in the Group Two Sandy Lane behind El Caballo and that’s the best form on offer by a long stretch and it proved the capabilities of this filly when at her best. This daughter of Galileo Gold produced a series of massive performances last year, placing in a pair of Group Two’s, including when only half-a-length behind 1000 Guineas winner Cachet in the Rockfel alongside a good third in the Group 1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac. 

All of her form is working out extremely well and, on the face of it, everything suggests she’s better than both Dawn Of Liberation and Ever Given yet, she gets weight from both here. Furthermore, she’s drawn well to attack early in stall one and connections have booked William Buick to do the steering, so if she’s back to anything near her best, she has to be a ‘penalty kick’ in the Poundland Surrey Stakes. 

At a bigger price in the finale, LORD RAPSCALLION (NAP) (best price 16/1) could be the each-way answer to the contest. Marco Ghiani, who has his only ride on the card and trainer Stuart Williams, who has his only runner, team up with this well-handicapped individual, who’s got the form in the book to play a major role despite being classed as an ‘outsider’ according to most firms. 

This six-year-old was fourth in this race twelve months ago off a ten-pound higher mark and went onto fill the same spot in the Buckingham Palace at Royal Ascot off the same mark here. Both his starts this year have been well below-par but the return to this course with a tongue-strap applied from a basement mark for one of his standards could have a positive effect. If it does, he’s surely going to exceed market expectations and possibly improve on last year’s finishing position in this contest which has clearly been the plan all season. Five places generally available.