Ascot is set to host a true championship card on Saturday, with the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase the highlight among a competitive seven races. The Placepot will be a tricky one to win, but we have provided our selections for Britain’s favourite tipping competition below, in the hope of landing the spoils.
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Leg 1: 12.25pm Ascot – BetMGM Juvenile Hurdle
Leg 1 Selections: (2) Down To Business, (8) Novelista
It was a strong race in which Winston Junior was second last time out, but with his yard in poorer form than they were earlier in the campaign, the second and third favourites, Down To Business and Novelista, are worth combining to see us through round one. Neither is certain on their own, with the former taking a long time to make an impression on his hurdling debut, but making a strong one once he did, suggesting plenty more is to come than finishing a ten-length third at Newbury would suggest, while the latter is a hurdling debutant, but for a trainer in Warren Greatrex who is enjoying an excellent strike rate this season. Novelista reached a useful level on the flat and looks an obvious, consistent type to take to hurdling, though his technique will have to be up to scratch straight away in this good contest.
Leg 2: 1.00pm – BetMGM Handicap Chase
Leg 2 Selections: (6) Kap Vert
Having jumped very well for an impressive success on his chase debut, Kap Vert then made an exuberant blunder at Kempton that put him on the back foot from an early sage at Kempton last time out. Despite that, he still managed to travel into the race as strongly as any of his rivals, ultimately fading late on to finish third. However, as he has broadly looked a very sound jumper, it can be expected that he will keep the mistakes to a minimum here. He has looked a much-improved model over about 3m the last twice on good ground and it should be a lively enough surface for him here too.
Leg 3: 1.40pm Ascot – BetMGM Warfield Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
Leg 3 Selections: (1) Joyeuse
The novice La Conquiere steps into open mares’ company here, but it is early to be making her favourite against some decent rivals. This sharp a test may place too much of an emphasis on speed for Nurse Suan and Sunset Marquesa, so it is worth giving a chance to Joyeuse, who would have been odds-on under these conditions had this been priced up before the season started. She did not take to fences as connections would have hoped when second at Bangor and Exeter, while she was down the field in a Grade 3 course and distance handicap in December. However, that could prove to be an extremely strong race, with two Champion Hurdle entries towards the head of affairs, one of whom Joyeuse was conceding weight too and this looks a good opportunity for her to bounce back.
Leg 4: 2.20pm Ascot – bet365 Handicap Chase
Leg 4 Selections: (7) Scarface, (8) Heltenham
Vincenzo is due a decent handicap win, but two maiden and novice hurdle defeats at this venue temper confidence a little in terms of this track’s suitability. Against him, Scarface, who has just one blot on his recent copybook, is preferred, as he is 4lb better off with Etalon for a 2½-length deficit that was being rapidly reduced at the line over 2m3f here last time out. Joe Tizzard’s charge made a mistake at the penultimate fence from which he could not recover in time, but is thriving but for a poor run at Newbury two starts back.
Similarly, Heltenham is now too well-treated to ignore, especially with Harry Atkins taking off 7lb. He was unable to win at Newbury two starts ago, a track he likes, but he travelled strongly through that race and bumped into a progressive winner, while he was not totally out of contention at Aintree last time when stuttering into the second last and falling. He is on his last winning mark, which came at right-handed Perth on good-to-soft ground.
Leg 5: 2.53pm Ascot – BetMGM Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle
Leg 5 Selections: (1) Tripoli Flyer, (9) Surrey Lord
Top-weight Tripoli Flyer ran in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton last time out after an unsuccessful start to chasing and may be able to contend off a mark of 140 here. He travelled well through that top level contest, only fading up the home straight behind Champion Hurdle favourite Sir Gino and the step up to 2m3f may come at exactly the right time. His best form was at right-handed Kempton last season too when winning a Grade 2 novice event.
Alongside him, Surrey Lord is improving at a decent rate of knots, winning from down the weights in a class 3 handicap on Boxing Day and is now ready for class 2 company. He is up 6lb for that success, in which he beat a course specialist into second with the third-placed horse beaten 13 lengths. Toby Lawes’ charge is quickly on the up and may well score again here.
Leg 6: 3.30pm Ascot – BetMGM Clarence House Chase
Leg 6 Selections: (2) Il Etait Temps
There are prizes only for getting the winner of the four-runner Clarence House Chase and Il Etait Temps should make the straightforward choice a victorious one. The eight-year-old is making up for lost time from last season, winning for the fifth straight race in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, in which he was utterly dominant. This race should set up well for him with a quick front-runner and he should comfortably confirm his superiority over Jonbon unless the tearaway Thistle Ask proves a surprise hit.
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