This Saturday is the final one before Christmas, with Ascot and Haydock providing some top quality racing to enjoy live on ITV.
Matty Sutcliffe has five selections across the two tracks throughout the day, including 25/1 and 50/1 shots for your each-way punts.
Ascot Racing Tips (Saturday 20 December 2025)
Ascot’s Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle is the feature and Matty fancies one of the raiding party, though not the selection you may expect in the race…
1:50 Ascot – Howden Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-150) – Here Comes Georgie 12/1 1pt EW 3 places
Several of these look handicapped accordingly for all Ben Pauling’s Bad looks the obvious candidate if backing up his solid seventh in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, but there looks to be more to come from Here Comes Georgie off a mark of 129, whose one of only two horses to race over fences for the yard with the other, Mahon’s Glory, having a record of 1122245 in this sphere.
Like that one, Here Comes Georgie switched from Paddy Neville’s yard but already has winning form in this sphere when landing a pair of class three novice chase handicaps this time last year including at Ascot when beating a progressive one in Ryan’s Rocket from 6lbs out of the weights. He won in spite of some poor leaps there, but he displayed a solid engine to stay on after stepping on landing at the last.
He returned too hurdling after being well out of his depth in Grade One company at Leopardstown and managed to pick up a Perth Class Two in August. He looked rusty back over fences in the Haldon Gold Cup this season though very little got into the contest from the offset, and he bounced right back to form when a half a length second at Doncaster last month, just failing to fend off the re-opposing in-form Alien Storm having hit the front far too soon.
That looked a trappy affair with four of the seven runners coming on the back of a last time out win, so if he can back up that effort then the return here under a prominent ride could see him bounce back to the winners enclosure off second bottom weight.
2:25 Ascot – Howden Long Walk Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Jet Blue 14/1 0.5pt EW 3 places
Impose Toi and Honesty Policy looks the likely candidates to take this on paper, but we’ve already had our money successfully taken from the former and the latter might need this run first time up. Strong Leader struggles to go right handed and Crambo will have to drastically improve on that last run to take this for three times in a row, so a chance is taken on French raider Jet Blue who was sent off as short as 5/1 for the Albert Bartlett last season.
While he failed to make a mark in that contest, he was a runaway winner of the Bristol Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham prior to that when pulling nine lengths clear of the subsequent Don River winner and Albert Bartlett fourth Yellow Car this time last year.
That was his first time upped to three miles and while he was well beaten on seasonal debut over 2m4f, he was only beaten six lengths last time out by the smart four time Grade One winner Lossange Bleu at Auteuil in Grade One company last time out with the 3rd and 4th both subsequently 1st and 2nd in Grade Three company next time out.
Harry Cobden has made a habit of winning on spare rides on these big Saturday meetings of late and it’s interesting he’s picked up this one as opposed to James Reveley coming over once more, and if Jet Blue is able to reproduce that impressing G2 success last season along with his latest performance, then it’s tough to see him out of the frame here.
3:00 Ascot – Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Two For Gold 50/1 0.5pt EW 4 places
It’s surprising to see Two For Gold not campaigned exclusively in Veterans’ company at this stage in his career particularly given his second in that sphere on his penultimate run, but he ran creditably in the Sodexo Gold Cup over C&D here off top-weight last month when behind Henry’s Friend and Blow Your Wad in a race where you had to be prominently to be seen to best effect.
While he was well beaten in this contest last season, he was only six lengths behind Victtorino in the 2023 renewal and he has a 17lbs weight swing with that one now. I’ve no doubt that he’s susceptible to some younger legs, but his impressive course form can’t be knocked with it reading 221224PU26 and he’s now on his lowest career mark since second in a handicap chase at Wetherby in October.
I’d expect him to be ridden much more prominently this time around, and in what doesn’t to be the most competitive of renewals of this contest then he may not get a better time to bounce back into the winners enclosure off this dwindling mark.
Haydock Racing Tips (Saturday 20 December 2025)
Haydock’s card on Saturday includes the historic Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase, won by some big names in the past. Matty has two best bets for two of the ITV races during the afternoon.
2:05 Haydock – Betfred Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-145) – Grand Geste 9/2 1pt WIN
The Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith yard continue to go great guns this season and have already taken some notable staying scalps with Konfusion winning the Rehearsal Chase in a route and O’Connell taking the London National in good style, thus novice chaser Grand Geste warrants strong consideration to go on better than his latest two efforts.
It’s hard to believe the yard have only one this once coming with Chives in 2004, but they did have the second with Burrows Diamond in 2023, the third with Vintage Clouds in 2019 and the third with Cloudy Too in 2015. The latter pair were both by Cloudings, as is Grand Geste who is sure to be suited by this step up to a testing three miles.
It’s a minor concern that he’s yet to win in 11 races under rules, but his best RPR over hurdles came over three miles here on soft ground and he made an excellent chase debut at Carlisle in 0-130 company despite 3lbs out of the weights when a four lengths second to the well backed The Jukebox Kid, who wasn’t disgraced at Cheltenham next time out last weekend with the third also performing creditably next time out, the fourth and fifth bettering their efforts next time out and the sixth ran a huge race to be beaten six lengths by The Jukebox Man in the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase.
Grand Geste was beaten at 5/4F next time out, but it was still a step in the right direction over an inadequate trip behind the Venetia Williams trained Alcedo, who franked that form next time out when beaten a length in a competitive 0-150 at Doncaster last weekend.
He’s a fluent jumper of a fence for a novice and this trip is bound to suit stronger to give this imposing grey a belated first victory.
2:40 Haydock – Betfred “The Classic Bookmaker” Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Listed Race) (Reg’ As Abram Hurdle) (GBB) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Amelia’s Star 25/1 0.5pt EW
A chance is taken on Amelia’s Star here, who was only beaten 11 lengths into eighth in the G2 Aintree bumper last season when ahead of both Jackie Hobbs and La Zoubida. While that pair have both won over hurdles subsequently, I thought Amelia’s Star ran a solid race on her hurdles debut at Huntingdon when beaten a length by Lady Tadita, who took her record to 111 having bolted up eight lengths in each of her prior starts.
Amelia’s Star lost some momentum at the last and she may have got closer than the eventual length defeat there, but it was still a promising run behind a potentially smart mare in which she pulled twenty lengths clear of the third, and it’s interesting that connections pitch her in deep here as opposed to running in another novice without a penalty in which she could easily win thus she can be strongly considered to step forward here to uphold that bumper form with two of the market protagonists.
Matty Sutcliffe’s Best Bets
1:50 Ascot – Howden Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-150) – Here Comes Georgie 12/1 1pt EW 3 places
2:05 Haydock – Betfred Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-145) – Grand Geste 9/2 1pt WIN
2:25 Ascot – Howden Long Walk Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Jet Blue 14/1 0.5pt EW 3 places
2:40 Haydock – Betfred “The Classic Bookmaker” Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Listed Race) (Reg’ As Abram Hurdle) (GBB) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Amelia’s Star 25/1 0.5pt EW
3:00 Ascot – Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Two For Gold 50/1 0.5pt EW 4 places
Amelias StarMatty Sutcliffe’s Racing Tips – Saturday 20 December
FAQs
What are today’s racing tips?
Matthew Sutcliffe provides his best bets at Ascot & Haydock across Saturday 20 December’s cards.
When were Matthew Sutcliffe’s tips published?
Matty Sutcliffe’s Haydock & Ascot tips were published at 4pm on Thursday 18 December.
Who is Matthew Sutcliffe?
Matthew Sutcliffe is GGs newest contributor, often providing a value angle for his tips. He writes weekly columns for the weekend’s racing, as well as taking aim at ante-post markets at the Cheltenham Festival.
Commercial notice: This article on GG.co.uk contains affiliate links. The offers we promote come from operators that we trust and our experts have first-hand experience dealing with. If you open an account through one of these affiliate links then GG will earn revenue. However, we ensure that the money earned goes back into improving and enhancing our coverage of horse racing and other sports, as we look to provide an excellent service to our growing audience.