Saturday Racing Tips from Architect

John McConnell has saddled the winner of this race for the last two years and has an excellent chance to win this race again with the talented REXEM (best price 5/2). He’s taken well to hurdles, in which he’s posted some decent times in winning his last two starts impressively from the front. I know they were minor events but he couldn’t have won either any easier and this race is likely to have been his target by his handler. He has penalties to carry but I like his race-by-race progress, he jumps well, has pace, has gears and is taken to make his first trip to Prestbury park a successful one by burning off his rivals from the front before having much bigger fish to fry later into the season. 

COEUR SEREIN (best price 9/2) is a useful/consistent hurdler and chaser and won three times over hurdles last year before a solid fourth in the Grade Two Persian War at Chepstow on his seasonal reappearance. Jonjo O’Neill’s eight-year-old showed a lot of promise in all three previous chase starts and would have won on chase debut without falling at the last fence. He then, however, had his confidence when fourth behind Corach Rambler over C&D, which is good form, given the winner went onto win the Ultima at the Festival in March. 

He didn’t jump as well at Exeter next time when only second but his three runs over hurdles since were encouraging to say the least. They include a solid eighth in the Pertemps Final despite being involved in early interference before a solid fifth in another high-class handicap at Aintree. There’s every chance he has more to come back over the larger obstacles off an attractive mark and, if he puts it all together in the jumping department, he could pose a serious threat in the latter stages. 

Pied Piper beat subsequent Triumph Hurdle winner Vauban on hurdles debut and ran well behind that rival in the race mentioned at Cheltenham having bolted up on the new course but I reckon KNIGHT SALUTE (best price 3/1) could confirm the Aintree form with him here. He was awarded the Grade 1 Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle (dead-heated with former on the day) but he proved a revelation for connections last term.

He won three other Grade Two events alongside his Grade One and six of his seven starts over hurdles, which is quite remarkable. His only defeat came in the Triumph Hurdle, where he wasn’t at his best due to not jumping as well as he could but he bounced back when last spotted and won’t fail through lack of fitness or batting qualities here, so Milton Harris’ four-year-old is a leading contender with more to come this season. 

BELLA SCINTILLA (best price 8/1) is very interesting though, who beat a subsequent winner on stable debut and this filly gets all the allowances with lots of improvement to come. She had a tendency to jump to the right in her latest start but she should take a massive step forward here and Tom O’Brien is an interesting booking for the ride. Joseph O’Brien has his team in excellent form and he clearly feels as though this filly is worth her place in the field on just her second start for connections. In receipt of lots of weight from all her opponents, she has to be feared. 

SOUNDS RUSSIAN (best price 4/1) progressed through the ranks last season over fences, winning three times, which included two wins at this track before an excellent second to Dusart at Ayr. He pushed the winner to half a length that day, so it was a smart effort in defeat and, with more to come this term, he’s a massive player here on his return. He’s an each-way steal in this in my opinion as he should continue his improvement this season and prove to be a force in all the possible major staying handicaps of graded events. 

This is a really deep race for the grade with lots of pace sure to be on offer and although she’s yet to score over fences, I am surprised to see EFFERNOCK FIZZ (best price 11/1) trading at large odds. Her latest front-running victory in the Welsh Champion Hurdle was an excellent performance, as she saw off some high-class hurdles such as Milkwood and Glory And Fortune. It remains to be seen if she can translate that form back over fences but she gets all the allowances, arrives on the back of a good victory and remains on a really nice mark, so if she can get into a fluent rhythm, this mare could make a mockery of her current odds. 

MAC TOTTIE (best price 40/1) is better known as a chaser, especially over the National fences, and connections are probably using this race as a prep-run but whatever way you look at this race, he’s massively overpriced for this. His record first-time-out isn’t exactly the best but the way he dominated the Topham last time was impressive and if he could reproduce that sort of performance back over hurdles, he wouldn’t be out of this by any means. He’s never run at this course before but he’s proven over this distance and doesn’t have many miles on the clock over hurdles. In fact, his record in this sphere reads four wins from just eight starts and he’s Peter Bowen’s only runner on the card. I can see him going well on his return here with five places generally available.

STREETS OF DOYEN (best price 12/1) ran quite well on stable debut three weeks ago and this former course-and-distance winner was third in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett last year. That is strong form in the context of this easier assignment and his mark of 136 is really attractive. The eight-year-old will love conditions, has the course form in the book and is the only one of these to boast Grade 1 form, so if he can build upon his latest start, he should firmly be in the mix here with five places widely available. 

MAHLER MISSION (best price 9/4) developed into a pretty smart novice hurdler last term, winning Listed and Grade Two events and was the best of these in that sphere. He ran very well when seventh of 16 in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle here in March and came out very well on these terms ahead of his chase debut. If he jumps as well as he did over hurdles last time, he could take some beating here despite his two rivals already having the chase experience. He has the size and scope to advance his form over the larger obstacles and can therefore prove his class against Life In The Park and Chemical Energy here.