Wednesday Racing Tips from Architect

The Sky Bet And Symphony Group Handicap is one of the most competitive handicaps this week but I am going stick my neck on the line and side with two horses who have the vital course-and-distance experience and have the capabilities to win a valuable pot when things fall into place. 

Firstly, MONDAMMEJ (best price 20/1), who I know needs a lot of luck in-running given his hold-up style of racing, but everything is in place for him to produce a good effort, with track, trip and conditions all in his favour here. He is drawn in stall 14 and the pace is likely to be on that side of the course with lots of confirmed pace-setters drawn high and his second here on his penultimate start behind Royal Aclaim looks excellent form given the winner is now a warm favourite for the Nunthorpe. If he gets the splits when the race starts to develop, I can easily see him exceeding market expectations at a double-figure price and improving on his unlucky fifth in this race twelve months ago. Various firms are offering a generous six places such as Bet365, Hills, PaddyPower, SkyBet, BetFair, Boylesports and BetFred. 

Most of my long-term followers will remember how unlucky NOMADIC EMPIRE (best price 25/1) was in this race last year, where his finishing effort in twelfth didn’t reflect his actual performance because he was the last horse off the bridle and had no clear passage at any stage from the two furlong pole when trying to find a gap and, by the time he did, the race was over, but he flew home at the finish. He hasn’t been at his best the last twice but he’s only a pound higher than when competing in this race last year and connections may have aimed him at this race all season. 

David O’Meara’s four-year-old has a consistent record at this course, especially over track and trip and he’s seven-pounds lower than when fourth in the big-field Coral Sprint Trophy Handicap last year which came off a mark of 102. Down to a mark of 95 with Jason Watson in the saddle allied to being drawn high in stall 15, which is where you probably want to be, he must have a good each-way chance at the very least with a clear passage and with various bookmakers paying six places such as Bet365, Hills, PaddyPower, SkyBet, BetFair, Boylesports and BetFred. 

An excellent renewal of this Group Two event and I was mightily impressed with OVIEDO (best price 9/1) on debut at Doncaster, who clocked a decent figure and won in the manner of a horse with lots of class and ability. He was only judged forward by Kevin Stott and the response was immediate as he flew past the opposition to easily get to the front and he kept on very well once in the lead to score in good style. 

The form has worked out nicely with the runner-up scoring since, so while this is a big jump up in grade, he’s open to a lot more improvement and there is no doubt he would have been half the price if he were trained by one of the bigger yards. I am really excited by this horse so therefore Edward Bethells’ charge gets the each-way vote to make his presence felt in this grade. 

AIKHAL (best price 11/4) returned a decisive winner for us at large odds last time and I think Aidan O’Brien’s charge has a great chance of following up in this race. He seemed to be really be suited to the step up in distance when crushing a good field last time, including a subsequent Group Three winner (Rumbles Of Thunder) who was back in third. He was highly tried on his return in the St James’s Palace but as I mentioned in my last write-up, connections were clearly using that as a prep-run for his latest task in which he won very easily. 

His breeding suggests he will be even more effective over this longer distance and this galloping course should massively play to his strengths with Ryan Moore maintaining the partnership. Secret State won well last time when I tipped him too, but the former could be a high-class middle distance horse for Ballydoyle and I really fancy him to potentially defeat Charlie Appleby’s two leading hopefuls here. 

Baaeed will probably win this if he stays and all eyes will be on this absolute superstar in what is a mouthwatering renewal of the Juddmonte International Stakes. Mishriff was unlucky not to win the Eclipse on his penultimate start but he had a hard race last time in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes and I am going to take a chance on NATIVE TRAIL (best price 15/2) to reverse the Eclipse form and give the favourite most to think about. 

Charlie Appleby’s ‘rhinoceros’ as he describes when he doesn’t get his own way, hasn’t done anything wrong throughout his whole career and bagged his third Group One when seeing off a good field in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in May. This three-time Group 1-winning three-year-old gets all the allowances for his age and should be well-suited to this course with the trip likely to be no issue too. William Buick and connections seem confident he can serve it up to the undefeated superstar that is Baaeed so at the odds, he’s worth the bet at the odds because he would be pushing for favouritism if Baaeed wasn’t in the line-up. 

John Quinn’s FRANKENSTELLA (best price 7/1) is a really consistent mare, especially over staying’ distances, in which her form figures between 1m7f and 2m1f reads 213114123 and even beat the 101-rated Rajinsky, who’s subsequently reached the frame in both the Northumberland Plate and the Chester Cup. The mare has been restricted to just two starts since but made an encouraging return to action at this venue after twelve months off, where she travelled well and took a blow before keeping on to take third. 

She will have come on enormously for that outing and the form-lines of that latest contest have been positively advertised since, with the second Master Milliner winning at Goodwood off a mark of 93. I can see this sister to high-class stayer’ Master Of Reality' relishing this thorough test of stamina and, off a low-weight, she is worth an each-way interest with four places generally available. 

The Andrew Balding-trained MORANDO (best price 33/1) would probably prefer softer ground and hasn’t won for a while, but he is a former three-time Group 3 winner and this will be just his third handicap start in six years. The nine-year-old is predominantly seen over shorter but he will have no problem over this trip and he stepped up on his return to action with a creditable sixth of 17 at Haydock in the Old Newton Cup, where he got outpaced before doing his best work in the closing stages and wasn’t beaten far in the end. He would have finished a bit closer with a clear passage and the assessor has kindly dropped him a pound since. 

The last time he ran over two-miles, he was fourth in a Listed event at Newmarket, while other pieces of form over this trip or further reads well in this race. Moreover, he’s reunited with SIlvestre De Sousa, who has a good record on him and the former champion jockey will be trying his absolute best to get a big winner before he heads off to Hong Kong for their season. I know his mount finds it difficult to win but he’s the perfect definition of class is permanent and, with his two encouraging runs under his belt, he has excellent each-way prospects of being competitive here with five places generally available. 

I must admit, I was a shade disappointed with CORAZON (best price 8/1) on Shergar Cup day last-time-out, who I strongly fancied, but I do think the six furlong distance was the reason she finished weakly given she travelled well into the race before having nothing left in the latter stages. The return to this shorter distance will be better though, and connections have got William Buick back in the saddle, who rode her when she caught the eye to finish fifth on her penultimate start. I can envisage this course and the first-time tongue tie really helping her and let’s not forget she’s a former Group Three winner as a two-year-old. 

This filly has dropped five-pounds in the handicap since her fifth of 10 at Ascot two starts ago and her third in the Group Two Flying Childers last year when partnered by Buick is an attractive piece of form for this much easier race. If George Boughey has galvanised her back to her best, she has to be considered a major player in this race and, essentially, most firms are paying a generous five places too. I cannot see her out of the frame at the very least this time round unless she’s majorly regressed which I don’t think has happened. 

SHANDY STAR (best price 28/1) gets a speculative vote for each-way purposes in the concluding race on day one. Roger Fell’s filly beat an odds-on favourite back in June and doubled her tally when winning easily at Hamilton when last spotted. This race obviously demands another career-best but the good news is that Clifford Lee stays loyal to her and she has the course form too, having run here twice so far in her career, albeit well beaten both times. 

Her trainer must think quite a lot of her, hence why she was highly tried in a listed event here on debut and wasn’t disgraced when tenth that day, while her second next time behind The Platinum Queen when only beaten a length (sent off favourite to beat the latter) looks quality form as the winner has won twice since. She looks overpriced on all the evidence of her form and makes plenty of appeal here with five places generally available. 

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