2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Preview

Our first two bets last weekend made no impact. Beat The Bat landed the place in the big one but we then went on to have a poor day at Navan on Sunday. Dave Stevos is hoping to turn the ship around this weekend, check out his 2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday preview and tips below.

1.15 Ascot – Best Odds Betfair Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)

We are sort of in no man’s land in terms of the NH season. The best horses are gearing up for Cheltenham and most of the racing between now and the first day of the Festival is not exactly brimming with quality. However, it is still possible to find horses that may have been targeted at races over these next few weeks in order to avoid the crème de la crème.

This is exactly the type of weekend that a 12yo might have a chance to get his head in front and I am hoping that Dans Le Vent can go close now that he drops back into class 3 company. Trained by in form Evan Williams, his daughter Isabel’s 3lb claim means he is effectively in off 120 here. He was beaten a length off the same mark on his penultimate start in the fog at Chepstow in a class 2, so clearly he still retains a fair level of ability.

This son of Skins Game hasn’t won a race for a long time, since November 2021 to be exact. That came over 24.5f on good ground at Haydock and while he acts on soft, four of his five career wins have come on ground with good in the description so conditions should be fine at Ascot. Dans Le Vent has finished fourth in his two previous runs at this venue off 132, hopefully he can do similar, or even better, today at odds of 20/1.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Dans Le Vent e/w @ 20/1 (5 places)

1.36 Wincanton – Kingwell Hurdle (Grade 2)

Just four runners and I have no strong opinion. I obviously have a soft spot for Golden Ace having tipped her up at Cheltenham last March and I’d love to see her get back to winning ways ahead of a return to Prestbury Park. It won’t be easy against Burdett Road but hopefully she can get the job done for Jeremy Scott.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: No Bet

1.50 Ascot – Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)

Unfortunately, this is another small field. Jingko Blue has really enjoyed the transition to chasing and he should be up to maintaining his unbeaten record. He had Lowry’s Bar’s measure last time at Windsor and though the runner up is 5lb better off for a 2.25l defeat, Nicky Henderson’s charge will probably uphold the form.

It’s not all just about those two. The Changing Man and Peaky Boy both have a bit to find on the figures but they are capable horses and if the top two in the market fail to fire, they’ll be ready and waiting to pounce. However, I am happy to sit this one out with just two places on offer. No bet.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: No Bet

2.05 Haydock – Veterans’ Handicap Chase (Class 3)

Another disappointingly small field and not one of them is priced up longer than 17/2 at the time of writing. Another race that makes limited appeal as a betting heat. No bet again.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: No Bet

2.25 Ascot – Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)

Paul Nicholls has been making headlines this week. There almost seems to be as much turmoil going on behind the scenes at Ditcheat as there is at Manchester United. His chief talent spotter Tom Malone has seemingly been demoted and his daughter Megan will now take up a more prominent role in sourcing Nicholls’ future stars. It’ll be interesting to see how that situation unfolds over the next couple of years.

Nicholls runs Samarrive here and he is reverting to hurdles after a couple of runs over fences. He shaped well on his sole start of last season in a novice handicap chase here off 142 but he bombed out on his return from a year off in a similar race back in November.

The handicapper has taken pity and his mark has now fallen to 136. In his last start in this sphere he finished third off 143 at Sandown and two years ago in this race, he was beaten 2.5l off the same mark. His last win came off 137 at Sandown in April 2022, so if he is anywhere near his best, he is on a very tempting mark.

The ground is in his favour, he can go well fresh and he ran a stinker in his previous race before running so well in this in 2023. At odds of 20/1, Samarrive is worth taking a chance on e/w.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Samarrive e/w @ 20/1 (4 places)

2.40 Haydock – Rendlesham Hurdle (Grade 2)

Our ante-post Grand National fancy Beauport lines up in this Grade 2 hurdle. He ran a mighty race in the Long Walk on his latest start, beaten 1.5L into third behind Crambo and Hiddenvalley Lake. He should go well again but all roads lead to Aintree for this fella and I hope he isn’t given too hard a race.

Last year’s winner Botox Has looked like he was on the way back to his best form at Cheltenham last time. However, his win last season came on heavy, as has most of his best form, so he’ll be hoping that the rain is heavier than has been forecast.

Nemean Lion is interesting stepped up in trip. He shaped like this test might suit when running on for second in the Lanzarote over 2m5f and if he does win this, it’ll open up a lot more options for him going forward. There isn’t much value in his odds of 9/2 though.

Dark Horse

The dark horse in here has to be Indiana Dream. From a talented French family, he made a big impression when winning his only two starts for Willie Mullins. He scored by 15l in a Fairyhouse maiden hurdle on his Irish debut (20f, soft) and then he destroyed Saint Felicien in a beginners’ chase on heavy ground at Navan over the same trip.

His first start for Jonjo O’Neill after over a year off came in a hot chase at Windsor and he finished well beaten in fourth. However, he was entitled to need that and the fact he now sports a tongue tie suggests he may have had some breathing issues.

Obviously, there are risks attached to this son of Cokoriko after that but he’s completely unexposed over hurdles and now that he has a run under his belt, it’ll be fascinating to see how much ability he retains. At odds of 20/1, it is worth chancing that he is talented enough to sneak into the frame.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Indiana Dream e/w @ 20/1

3.00 Ascot – Swinley Handicap Chase (Premier)

I really like Highstakesplayer in this competitive handicap chase. Trained by Tom Lacey, this son of Ocovango has not run well on his last two starts. However, three runs ago back in November he ran an absolute cracker over this C&D behind Chianti Classico off 135 and he returns to the scene of that fine effort off a 2lb lower mark.

Those last two moderate runs came in far less valuable races than this one, so my hope his that he was just going through the motions in those contests. This is a proper pot, just like it was here in November and his career form figures of 111126 in chases on right handed tracks are another cause for optimism (the sixth came on his last start at Kempton when he may not have been fully wound up).

I’d imagine connections have had this race in mind for a while and odds of 10/1 are just about big enough for the blog. Hopefully Highstakesplayer bounces back to form and runs a massive race.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Highstakesplayer e/w @ 10/1 (4 places) NAP

3.15 Haydock – Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (Premier)

Usually this is a decent betting race, but not this year. Ten horses have been declared and just three are double figure prices. Where It All Began is 16/1 but he has seemingly lost his form completely since winning off 123 on heavy at Punchestown a year ago and he’s also 4lb wrong at the weights.

Fontaine Collonges, also around 16/1, won over 25.5f here in November on his seasonal reappearance off 140 but then struggled upped in trip for the Welsh National off 8lb higher. The problem with him is that he probably needs much softer ground than he’s going to encounter here.

Galia Des Liteaux is a bit more interesting. Eighth in last year’s Grand National, she shaped nicely on her seasonal return at Carlisle over an inadequate trip and she was far from disgraced in the Welsh National in December, finishing fifth off 142, albeit 17l behind the winner but only 4l off a place in third.

She was dropped 2lb for that run and with Tristan Durrell taking off another 3lb, she will be effectively 5lb lower here. In January 2024 she was beaten 0.5l off 142 in the Classic Handicap Chase at Warwick so she has shown she can go close off this sort of mark and her odds of 10/1 are big enough to warrant an e/w interest.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: Galia Des Liteaux e/w @ 10/1 NB

3.35 Ascot – Betfair Ascot Chase (Grade 1)

This looks a three-way shootout. Last year’s winner Pic D’orhy loves it here and he is edging favouritism from the highly rated Corbetts Cross. However, the elder lemon L’Homme Presse has also won over C&D and it would be no surprise if last year’s runner up went one better, though this trip is probably a shade too sharp for him. This is a race I am more than happy to just watch and enjoy. No bet.

2025 Haydock & Ascot Saturday Tip: No bet

-DaveStevos