2020 Ascot Saturday Tips For Live ITV4 Races
2020 Ascot Saturday Preview of Live ITV4 Races
It was a case of close but bo cigar for us last week at Kempton. 14/1 e/w NAP Debestyman ran a huge race and looked like he had the race in the bag approaching the last. He stepped at it though and Michael Nolan was unseated in heartbreaking fashion. King Of Realms looked nailed on for a place at the last but just got pipped for third. Hopefully we get a change of luck this Saturday. Check out Dave Stevos 2020 Ascot Saturday Tips below…
2020 Ascot Saturday Tips: 1.50pm Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
First up this weekend on ITV4 is a 23.5f Grade 2 hurdle for the mares. Only 6 will go to post and with bottomless ground likely the trip will take some getting. I tipped up Papagana at big odds for the Long Walk last time and she ran with credit in 3rd. However, I believe she is going to be a better mare on decent ground. She handles heavy alright but 3 of her 4 wins have come on good to soft or good. Oliver Sherwood’s charge will no doubt run her race but I can’t wait to see her back on a sounder surface. At her current odds she looks a bit to short.
Magic Of Light is next best in the betting and she would prefer a sounder surface too. Her form figures on heavy read P3442 but even on those placed runs the closest she got to the winner was 8L. The one I am going to take a chance on here is Coded Message. This daughter of Oscar relished the step up in trip when winning a handicap by 10L last time (24f soft). She has won on heavy ground which is a big plus and she is a genuine mare, just like her talented half sister Midnight Jazz. She has plenty to find at the figures but with doubts about some of the market leaders on the ground, she looks worth backing each way at 17/2.
2020 ASCOT SATURDAY TIPS: CODED MESSAGE E/W @ 17/2 nap
Ascot Saturday Preview: 2.25pm – Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3)
I usually relish studying Saturday handicaps but this is an exception. Only 8 runners go to post and the market is extremely tight. The biggest priced runner in the field is only 11/1 while the favourite is 10/3. I was a big fan of Thomas Darby over timber but he surely needs better ground. His chasing career never took off and he could be short on confidence right now. Old stager Jolly’s Cracked It represents an in form trainer and jockey but he is an 11yo now and he has never won beyond 2 miles.
Nicky Henderson is flying too and he runs Soul Emotion here. However, heavy ground could be a big issue for this horse and he would need a better surface to show his best. The favourite, Bold Plan, looks the most solid as he is a winner at today’s trip and he won his P2P on heavy. He wasn’t disgraced on his only rules start on heavy either behind Poker Play. However, given he is up 10lbs for his last run odds of 4/1 aren’t tempting enough. This is a no bet race for me.
2020 ASCOT SATURDAY TIPS: NO BET
2020 Ascot Saturday Tips: 3.00pm – Handicap Chase (Class 2)
The one I like at a massive price in this contest is the rag, Aintree My Dream. Trained by Milton Harris, this lightly raced 10yo arrives here in decent heart. He was going well until making a mistake last time out at Leicester over hurdles (15.5f hvy). He still managed to hold on for 3rd and it wasn’t a bad effort. This horse previously ran a blinder over today’s course and distance, again over timber, and he finished 3rd under a claiming jockey beat 6L. He lost a shoe that day too so it wasn’t a bad effort at all off 128.
Aintree My Dream is rated a pound lower over the bigger obstacles with a mark of 127. His last chase win came off 132 on good ground at Stratford so he is handicapped to be competitive. This fella goes well on heavy ground as his career form figures of 1P333 indicate. Paddy Brennan takes over in the plate (4 wins and 38 top 4 finishes from 91 rides for Harris) which is another positive. He carries just 10 stone and while he may lack the class to win, there are enough positives to justify an each way bet at odds of 28/1.
2020 ASCOT SATURDAY TIPS: AINTREE MY DREAM E/W @ 28/1 nb
Ascot Preview: 3.35pm – Clarence House Chase (Grade 1)
The feature race at Ascot on Saturday is the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase. For all intents and purposes this looks a straight shootout between the big guns, Defi De Seuil and Un De Sceaux. The rest look to be playing for minor money in this clash between two seriously talented horses. Philip Hobbs says he isn’t worried about heavy ground for his stable star, but his form suggests he ought to be considering he is taking on a proper mudlark. Yes, he has winning form on soft (and very soft in France) but heavy ground is an unknown.
On the other hand, the ageless Un De Sceaux will absolutely relish the conditions at Ascot. Now a 12yo, he pushed Defi all the way last time at Sandown on soft, getting to within a neck of his younger rival. He has a stellar record on heavy ground and is unbeaten when he has completed. He is 2/2 at Ascot (both in this race) and in my view he should be the favourite. However, I am not one for tipping up (or backing) 11/8 shots and I’ll just be watching. I do think Un De Sceaux will win though.
