Arthur Moore's Festival Tips

I think the opening Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle is a match between Barton and Alexander Banquet and I think Alexander Banquet is the banker of the day. He is a very tough horse who won on the track in last year's Bumper and I was

impressed when he beat my horse Native Upmanship at Leopardstown, giving 7 lb.

Native Upmanship is a horse I like a lot. Barton is very classy but I am more certain about Alexander Banquet seeing out the trip and he is just so tough.

If I had been tipping on the morning of the Ladbroke Hurdle back in January I would have gone for Archive Footage. Unfortunately I wasn't and he won at 25 to 1! I would have tipped him on the basis that he beat Michael Grassick's horse San Sebastian last May, giving him 2 st, and San Sebastian went on to win at Royal Ascot. Archive Footage is a very decent animal who will have no problem staying the trip and he ran well in the Supreme Novices last year. I would have preferred if the weights had not gone up but I like Archive Footage's chance a lot.

In the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, I think Lord of The River is the each way bet. I was involved in the buying of this horse when he was a three-year-old at the Derby Sale and I think he will improve a lot from his last win at Ascot. Having said that, Nick Dundee with a clear round probably won't be beaten but he has to get around.

I have always respected Edredon Bleu's chance in the Queen Mother Chase, a race which might not be as strong as in previous years. I'm not worried about him being a front runner, nor the ground. He has won on softer. Finally, I hope Biliverdin can land the bumper for Sheena Collins but I have a lot of respect for Golden Alpha.