2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Preview – DS
2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip Preview
We managed to land a lovely 20/1 winner last weekend with our NAP Shagraan who hosed up in the Beverley Bullet. Our NB Mustazeed was narrowly denied a place but the rest of our selections failed to fire. This weekend we have G1 action with the Sprint Cup, check out Dave Stevos’ 2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday tips below.
1.15 Haydock – Superior Mile Stakes (Group 3)
I was really looking forward to this meeting earlier this week when I saw lots of rain forecast. However, Haydock somehow managed to miss most of the many thunderstorms that were around on Thursday and while it won’t be rattling quick ground, it won’t be properly soft either.
It looks like the ground will suit horses that like a slight ease and the favourite, Make Me King, should enjoy the conditions, as should Ice Max and Prague. At the other end of the market, Checkandchallenge would have been of interest when he was priced up at 25s and 20s but he’s into 12s now and that that looks about right. No bet.
2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: No Bet
1.50 Haydock – Ascendant Stakes (Listed)
There has only been one double figure priced winner of this race since 2015, Pyledriver in 2019. This year we have two horses at under 2/1, with Publish edging favouritism at 5/4 ahead of Bow Echo at 15/8. The latter horse has already proven he stays a mile whereas it will be new territory for Publish. However, I am going to take them on with the Catterick 7f maiden winner, Tailgunner Joe.
This American bred colt is a half-brother to Sacred Wish, a Listed and G1 turf winner at 1m. His wins came on firm, while Tailgunner Joe’s win came on soft so hopefully, Dylan Cunha’s charge will be at home on the better ground at Haydock.
Cunha must hold this horse in high regard as he gave him his debut in the Chesham Stakes at Ascot. He wasn’t disgraced in finishing sixth of nine and he clearly learned plenty from that experience given the manner of his victory at Catterick a month later.
This step up to 1m should suit on pedigree and I liked how he knuckled down and kept finding for pressure when the eventual runner up came to challenge him at Catterick. This is clearly a far tougher assignment but there could be more to come from this son of Knicks Go, hopefully he can make a bold bid at odds of 18/1.
2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Tailgunner Joe e/w @ 18/1
2.05 Kempton – London Mile Series Final (Class 2)
The one I am interested in at a nice price in this C2 handicap is Whitcombe Rockstar. Trained by Keiran Burke, Josephine Gordon takes the ride and she has been in the plate for five of his seven wins, all five coming over this C&D.
On his last start in a handicap at this venue he won off 92 and he is back to try and win this race for a second time off a mark of 94, 8lb higher than he was when landing the prize in 2024.
He has admittedly been out of sorts on turf this year but he is a much better horse on the all-weather and you’d have to imagine this race has been a long term target. He managed to score from stall 14 last season, this year the draw gods have been kinder and he starts from stall 4. At odds of 18/1, Whitcombe Rockstar is the e/w selection, hopefully the return to Kempton sparks a revival.
2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Whitcombe Rockstar e/w @ 18/1 (4 places) NB
2.25 Haydock – Betfair Handicap (Class 2)
I am going to break my golden rule of avoiding handicap debutants in this 1m6f contest. However, the horse I am backing has already had four runs, including one in Listed company, so he isn’t a typical handicap debutant and on the form of his close Hamilton third behind the now 104 rated Nahraan and the 111 rated Arabian Force, he surely has some wriggle room off a mark of 101, especially with his rider taking off 5lb.
Now, the way they finished in that 1m3f race (seven separated by 1.75l) suggests he may have been flattered but I liked how he picked up when switched wide and the way he finished indicated that this longer trip would be right up his alley.
Strong Pace Required
He failed to shed the maiden tag back in a four runner novice at Hamilton 15 days ago when a very short price but this horse strikes me as the sort that will be seen to best effect when getting a strong pace to aim at and he certainly didn’t get that last time out.
Now, there isn’t a huge amount of pace in this race on paper but Mafting and Winston Junior both like to be up there so hopefully, they’ll take them along at a nice clip. If they do, Tiernan should be doing his best work in the closing stages and at 18/1, it is worth chancing that he can stay on for a place.
2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Tiernan e/w @ 18/1 (4 places)
2.40 Ascot – Schweppes Handicap (Class 2)
Unlike Haydock, Ascot didn’t miss the rain during the week and the ground is currently soft all over. The forecast is for dry days on Friday and Saturday so it should dry out a bit but I’d imagine it’ll be tacky and that is rarely a positive for punters.
One at a price that acts on soft is the 3yo Mirabeau. Trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis, this son of Territories has run twice on soft ground over 7f and won both races, including a 100k class 2 conditions race at York. His final start of 2024 came in the G3 Horris Hill on heavy at Newbury and he was only beaten 3l into fifth, a very respectable run.
Connections have stepped him up in trip to no avail this year, with all three runs coming at around 1m2f on good and good to firm ground. He now drops back to his last winning distance and for the first time this season, he will have his favoured ground. On that Horris Hill form, a mark of 95 could be workable and with odds of 28/1 available, Mirabeau is the each way selection.
2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Mirabeau e/w @ 28/1 (5 places)
3.00 Haydock – Old Borough Cup Handicap (Class 2)
On his last visit to Haydock a year ago Contacto ran a blinder in a valuable C&D handicap off 84 and I think he is capable of producing another big run here off just 1lb higher.
By Study Of Man, he hasn’t managed to win since scoring off 79 at Hamilton (1m4f, soft) in May 2024. However, he’s only run three times since and on his seasonal return at Goodwood in May, he was beaten less than 2l off 86.
It must be said that this gelding’s last two runs at Newcastle and Ascot, both at around 2m, have been poor but the return to this venue is a big plus, as is the amount of prize money on offer. Nicola Currie is a jockey I like and she has hit the frame in eleven of her previous 28 rides for Andrew Balding (one win). She isn’t averse to riding big priced winners, hopefully she can steer Contacto into the money at odds of 16/1.
2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Contacto e/w @ 16/1 (5 places) nap
3.15 Ascot – Silent Pool Handicap (Heritage)
Just seven runners here and not really a race I am keen to get involved in. Nightwalker might prove to be overpriced at around 11/1 but it is his first handicap and I am not too sure he’ll be effective on the rain softened ground. No bet.
2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: No Bet
3.35 Haydock – Sprint Cup Stakes (Group 1)
I was hoping there would be soft in the ground description for this G1 sprint but alas, Haydock has somehow managed to avoid the widespread rain. However, there should be a bit of moisture in it so I am going to stick to my guns and back the Ger Lyons’ raider, My Mate Alfie.
At the start of the season, I expected this horse to blossom into a G1 sprinter. His form at the backend of 2024 was rock solid and he looked to be on a steep upward trajectory. This year, he has taken a while to hit top form but there were clear signs he was coming to hand in a G3 at the Curragh last time. He found just Bucanero Fuerte too good that day but he had Kind Of Blue (15/2 here) 0.5l behind in third.
Wide Draw
I backed My Mate Alfie on Wednesday at 33s for this race but he is still very backable at 25s and there are extra places available at those odds too. The one possible negative is his draw in 17 but Regional won from 13 a couple of years ago so please god he can overcome it.
I also can’t let our old pal Run To Freedom go unbacked at ridiculous odds. He bounced back to his best last time in the July Cup at Newmarket and while he has failed to fire in two previous runs over this C&D, he should not be a 66/1 poke here.
Henry Candy’s horses are generally running well and while this fella isn’t guaranteed to reproduce his last run, if he does he will outrun those massive odds. This horse owes us nothing having landed a few places for us at gargantuan odds so I am going to back him e/w again at odds of 66s.
