Tuesday Racing Tips from Architect

FOUNTAINS CHIEF (best price 3/1) makes his handicap debut after a break but he’s unbeaten in three over hurdles and should have a lot more to come this term. This six-year-old has won over four different distances, which suggests he’s a very good horse, and his only previous try over this trip resulted with an eleven length success. I can envisage this course suiting him well under a positive ride and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t make up into a 130+ rated horse in due course, so an opening mark of 118 is generous and he’s fancied to get the better of Jet Of Magic, who ran poorly when last spotted. 

Despite returning a beaten favourite three times, KYNTARA (best price 11/4) showed fairly useful form over hurdles last season and goes chasing off a lenient mark following wing surgery with a tongue-tie applied and off this contributing factors could bring about improvement. Kim Bailey’s charge has narrowly finished second to 122, 123 and 130 rated horses the last three times, so his current mark of 118 has to be recognised as being really lenient. He goes well fresh, will like the forecast rain and should stay the distance given he stayed 2m7f over hurdles well. He can make a winning chase debut under David Bass. 

Blue Beach ran promising race on her hurdles debut when second to You Wear It Well but with the arrival of rain and her smart bumper form, FLIRTATIOUS GIRL (best price 9/4) gets the vote to make a successful hurdles debut. She won two of her five bumper starts and ploughed through deep conditions to prevail in a Listed event at Sandown last March. That form has already worked out well, as the second and third have won decent pots since. This mare has a good record fresh (two-from-two after three plus months absence) and has the pedigree to be an even better hurdler. Under an attacking ride from Davis Bass, with more to come, she can see off her rivals for her in-form handler. 

JUST GO FOR IT (best price 12/1) has taken a bit of a drift in the market this morning but all of her best form has been at this venue in which her record here reads F13 and she would have gone close without falling in the first of those. She had a tendency to make the odd mistake over hurdles but the nine-year-old is only two pounds higher than when winning by nineteen lengths here last February. She has made the frame in her last three starts, which means she’s in good form at the moment, and she handles soft ground well, so conditions will be suitable. This is a wide-open race, so in the hope she takes to the larger obstacles, she could notch another win here or, at the very least, make the frame. 

REPUBLICAN (NAP) (best price 11/2) hasn’t been seen for over 300 days and has to shoulder top-weight but Oliver Sherwood’s seven-year-old is undoubtedly the best horse in the race and is worth an each-way interest here. 

He ran a creditable race when third of 15 in the Stayers Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle last April in a class two, which is the best form on offer, and he was set to score at Perth a few weeks later in a class three event, only to fall at the last hurdle when in front and going best at the time. I reckon he would have won that race by a few lengths but either way, that was off a six pounds higher mark and the form has loads of substance.

For instance, the fortunate second has defied a mark of 120 since, while the third Iwilldoit won the Welsh Grand National when last spotted off a mark of 130. His two chase starts since haven’t gone plain sailing but he ran well last time to finish fourth and reverts back to hurdles off a mark of 115, which is six pounds lower than his unlucky fall at Perth. Good News and Bobalot are feared most but the top-weight has a touch of class and might be tuned up to make a bold bid here.