Wednesday Racing Tips from Architect

NIETZSCHE (best price 11/2) has been plying his trade at a higher level for the majority of his career and while he’s not getting any younger; the nine-year-old has the class to win a race such as this on the Flat dropped into this grade for the first time in his career. This former Greatwood Hurdle winner couldn’t go the early gallop last time at Thirsk but he was doing all his best work in the latter stages and he takes another drop in grade here off a career-low mark on the Flat. Brian Ellison has his team in excellent form and this classy individual is his only runner on the card, while Ben Robinson has his only ride of the day. This is the easiest race he’s been granted in his career, so if he can just turn up and just run his race, he should be way too good for these. 

How many times have I tipped EMBOUR (best price 15/2) the last two years? Probably more than I should have as he’s not really rewarded us but surely he goes close in this race if he can produce his best. Ruth Carr’s charge is difficult to win with but he was, however, a head second in this race twelve months ago when carrying 10-2, conceding loads of weight to the eventual winner. That was off a mark of 86 and he’s six-pounds lower this time round off 80, and Tom Eaves is booked for the ride. He was down the field in the Great St Wilfrid last time but was drawn terribly and wasn’t positioned great throughout the race either. However, this is easier and his penultimate two-length sixth at Goodwood in a class two event is a strong piece of form, while he’s four-pounds better off with Oso Rapido, who beat him by only a couple of lengths here in July. At the odds, he has to be given another chance here, as he will carry much less weight than he did in this race last year when narrowly denied and has fallen to an attractive mark to boot too. 

This is a pretty weak event and it would come as no surprise to see FOLLOW YOUR FIRE (best price 16/1) go well at a huge price. He is the only course-and-distance winner in the field, which will count for plenty, and his win was off 95, four-pounds higher than today’s mark of 91. All four of his career victories so far have been off higher marks (95 x3) and (92), two of those over fences, the latest of those was by nine lengths. He was down the field back over hurdles last time but he’s a much better horse at this course and went close over track and trip back in March off four-pounds higher. Now reunited with Sean Quinlan, who regularly gets a good tune out of him, he makes plenty of each-way appeal at double-figure odds.

QOYA (best price 4/1) was behind East End Girl last-time-out, but she didn’t get the clearest of runs and the slow pace didn’t suit her either. However, the pace should be a lot stronger in this event and she is going the right way, given her race-by-race progress for the William Haggas team. She is reunited with Tom Marquand and the form of her sixth at Windsor and fourth at Goodwood makes her extremely well-handicapped in this race. She is also drawn well in stall one, so there’s hardly any negatives regarding her chances and therefore she’s fancied to finally come good with more to come off a mark of 68 that is lenient. 

GOLDEN TOWN (best price 10/1) hasn’t been at his superior best of late but he’s been contesting stronger events than this for a while and he’s now twenty three pounds lower than when second over course-and-distance in a class three event in 2020. All of his wins have been in class four events or higher and the return to this venue should ignite the fire back in his belly with Charlotte Jones claiming three. He is fourteen pounds below his last winning mark and drops into a class five for the first time in over three years. His peak form would entitle him to beat these and beat them comfortably, so while a revival is much needed, he has to be worth an interest at the odds against this average field.