Wednesday Racing Tips from Architect

This race is lacking strength in depth and it appears to be a golden opportunity for Grant Tuer’s TERMONATOR (NAP) (best price 15/8) to get off the mark for the campaign now reunited with Sam James. His two wins, which were over shorter, were a long time ago but he’s placed ten times since, with eight of those coming off higher marks than today’s mark. His two runner-up efforts last week provisionally displayed that he’s back to his best and his yard is in very good form too, which boosts his chances further. On the evidence of his form to date, with his latest figures being head and shoulders above these, the top-weight should have little trouble in going one place better here. 

Manigordo is handicapped to have a say in this race but his best form has been over shorter and On A Session finds it difficult to get his head in front so the vote goes to CHALLET (best price 3/1) who would only need to repeat his latest third to win this contest. He’s very consistent and did remarkably well to hold onto third last time despite being ridden overly aggressive. It never favours to be a front-runner at York, so his performance deserved plenty of credit and he drops down a couple of grades off the same mark here.

This course should be more suitable for his run-style and given he’s been knocking on the door all season, this could be the time he doesn’t come back to the field and keeps rolling on the front-end under Tom Eaves to gain a much deserved victory for his consistency. 

The effort of INTERNATIONAL BOY’s (best price 16/1) latest run at Doncaster was better than the result suggested as he probably would have finished a good fourth without being badly hampered in the closing stages and he was left to come home in his own time afterwards. He’s dropped in grade today off a pound lower mark and while he’s never performed over this trip, the way he hit the line strongly under a hold-up ride here on his penultimate start suggested he could benefit from the extra yardage.

He would have finished closer that day too with a clear run and looks really well-handicapped off 62 today. He is also the only three-year-old in the field and he’s likely to be ridden with more restraint here with loads of pace on offer. If he gets the breaks, Oisin Orr could deliver him with a late challenge, which might be enough to see his mount gain a first long-awaited success. Backing him each-way with five places generally available is more than appealing in my view. 

POET’S DAWN (best price 5/2) looks the way go to in this race. He was rated twenty pounds higher around this time last year and made a bold effort from the front when third in a class four last time. He’s spent his whole career competing in stronger events than this and drops into a class six for the first time in his career. All of his career wins have been off marks 75 or higher against higher-rated opponents and conditions will be absolutely ideal for him here. He’s drawn well in stall five under David Allan and while his best form is at Beverley, this track is similar, so he shouldn’t have any issues with the course as he’s likely to go forward. The first-time cheekpieces are applied and he looks ready to capitalise off this mark in this weak contest. 

PENDLETON (best price 9/2) is difficult to catch right these days but he’s the class act in this field on his day and proved that when an excellent third at York last month in a class two behind Dakota Gold. He couldn’t match that form over the same track and trip next time but being drawn low was the wrong place to be on the day and this race is far less demanding. He’s effectively a couple of pounds below his last winning mark now and was rated as high as 100 last year. It was only last May that he came within a neck of beating Fresh at Ascot and that form has worked out strongly.

This six-year-old is seen to best effect under fast ground despite having good form when the ground is softer, so he's versatile in terms of conditions and gets on well with Connor Beasley. If he’s in the mood, he has a great chance of being extremely competitive here. 

A leap of faith is required to be confident about the chances of FREE SOLO (best price 33/1) but he’s too well-handicapped to dismiss in a race of this nature and, if he returned to the form he produced when formerly trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland, he would have a good each-way chance here. He contested the Irish 2,000 Guineas a couple of years ago while his form didn’t materialise into winning formula afterwards, he has ran quite well the last three times without looking threatening in the UK.

He’s had just the one start on all-weather, which came in a class three event at Chelmsford, so he’s unexposed on the surface and is open to a bit of improvement. In the hope the first-time blinkers work the oracle though, he could be the value in the race under Kieran Shoemark. He is worth one more chance. Four places generally available with firms.