Architect has four selections for the ITV Racing on Saturday 19th April.
15:00 Musselburgh
I like JER BATT (best price 4/1) for David Barron and Callum Rodriguez. He was last seen finishing a neck second to Cover Up on soft ground at Doncaster and meets that rival on more favourable terms here.
He will be better suited to today’s good ground and almost defied today’s mark at Haydock last September. While his only previous visit to Musselburgh resulted in an emphatic success, where he had Jim Jungle back in third.
He also beat American Affair when last successful, so he remains nicely treated on these terms, and I think he’s a major player.
15:15 Haydock
This undoubtedly looks wide-open, but the one who takes my eye is GLYNN (best price 5/1). Anthony Honeyball’s charge is very lightly raced for an 11-year-old and really got the hang of things in the second half of last year, winning three times in succession under similar conditions to what he’ll encounter here.
He was then second to the reopposing Numitor, but would have given the winner a race without hitting the second last fence. Still, he was only beaten two and a half lengths and was conceding 5lb to the winner.
He meets that rival again here on 10lb better terms, so there’s every chance he will turn the form around. In the last of his three wins, which came at Newton Abbot, he comfortably had Riskintheground in behind.
The latter has won at Ayr and Cheltenham recently, so the form has a solid look to it. He was out of his depth in a Grade 2 when last seen, but back in a handicap off the same mark as his penultimate runner-up effort, I think he’s worth an each-way investment.
15:35 Musselburgh
One of two that I’m interested in at a huge price is Alan King’s LOUGHVILLE (best price 25/1). This mare hasn’t been since contesting a pair of Listed races on her last couple of starts, but I think she has deliberately been kept fresh for this.
Interestingly, she will be Alan King’s first runner at this course in more than five seasons and David Egan is booked to ride. She’s drawn well, she will love the ground and has hardly any weight on her back, so she could run well.
She’s available at 16/1 and can be backed at half a point each-way with four places widely on offer.
My main play in the race though is the Adrian Keatley-trained KIHAVAH (best price 12/1). Now, you don’t see many horses warm up for this with a spin in the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr and that’s exactly what Adrian did with this eight-year-old.
I think this horse deserves a bit more recognition to be honest, because he’s a good ground specialist, he stays very well, and was in seriously good form last season.
He finished second in the Summer Hurdle at Market Rasen before reverting back to the Flat to contest the Ebor, where he only found Magical Zoe too good, who got first run on him.
He then went to Ayr a month later and pulverised his rivals off a huge weight under PJ McDonald and that’s the last time we saw him on the Flat.
Following that impressive success, he then went back over hurdles, where he chased home Rubaud in a Kempton Listed race prior to exceeding market expectations when third in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle behind Sir Gino.
He would have needed his comeback run last week and that should have put him spot on for this race. He’s drawn nicely in stall 5 and is only 4lb higher than when he won at Ayr, so I think he’s an each-way steal at 12/1, with four places generally available.
