Racing at Ascot on Saturday
1:45
We kick-off with a handicap hurdle and I quite like the look of Stellar Magic. He travelled well last time out at Haydock and just got caught late on, a repeat of that should see him go very close. Garry Clermont is the favourite and probably deserves to be after his last run.
Selection – Stellar Magic – 9/2
2:20
The Mares’ Hurdle is up next and it’s not the easiest race to find the winner. Molly Ollys Wishes was well beaten in the Grade 2 Ascot Hurdle last time out, but this will be a lot easier. Western Victory will be having her first start for Emma Lavelle. Her last run at Clonmel looked good and if she can back that up here, she must have a decent chance. My Sister Sarah is the one I’m going to go with. Willie Mullins does really well with his mares and she might just have that extra bit of class to see off his main rivals here.
Selection – My Sister Sarah – 11/4
2:55
Killer Clown was impressive when he won at Wincanton last time out and I think he will take all the beating here. Palmers Hill is looking to complete a hat-trick of wins and he did win easily here at Ascot back in December. He has gone up in weights quite a lot now and Killer Clown might just be better handicapped.
Selection – Killer Clown – 11/2
3:35: Clarence House Chase
The race of the day is definitely the Clarence House Chase as we get to see two of the best 2-mile chasers in the world go head-to-head. Shishkin could not have been more impressive at Kempton over Christmas and is so slick over his fences. Energumene has barely put a foot wrong in his career to date and will prove one hell of a test. This race will come down to who jumps the best as they both have an electric turn of foot. I’m going to side with Shishkin as I think he is the better jumper out of the two horses.
Selection – Shishkin – 8/11
Haydock Racing Tips
1:25
Our brand ambassador Aidan Coleman heads up to Haydock to ride one of the most talked about horses in the country, Jonbon. He has a huge reputation to live up to and so far, he has done everything we all wanted to see. The way he pulled clear last time out was very taking and he looks the real deal. I think he will win this race with ease and then go on to win the Supreme at the Cheltenham Festival.
Selection – Jonbon – 2/5
2:05
The New One Hurdle is meant to be a trial for the Champion Hurdle, but we don’t have a horse in this field that will go on to win that race in March. Tommy’s Oscar looks very good and he could be high class. He will need to win this impressively to be a contender in the big Grade 1’s going forward. It’s great to see Hunters Call still running in these high-quality races as a 12-year-old. He was a close third in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham and if he can run to that level again, he will give Tommy’s Oscar a lot to worry about.
Selection – Hunters Call – 9/4
2:35
The Peter Marsh Chase is packed full of quality horses. Find out what our ambassador Aidan Coleman thinks of Sam Brown chances over on this week’s blog post. Royal Pagaille was second here in the Betfair Chase, but he was beaten out of sight that day by A Plus Tard, who is near the top of the market for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He is definitely the class horse in the race, but I’m going to side with Remastered, who gets a big lump of weight from his main rival Royal Pagaille.
Selection – Remastered – 4/1
Bryony Frost to Win at Taunton
3:15
Yala Enki has not been seen since winning at Cheltenham’s November meeting. Bryony Frost has a brilliant relationship with this horse and she’s onboard once again. They face Elegant Escape who has been disappointing for quite a while now and I can’t see him beating Yala Enki on these terms. Full Back is one who could give the favourite most to think about, he travelled well at Cheltenham on New Years Day and won in decent style.
Selection – Yala Enki – 5/6