Haydock and Ascot Saturday Tips by Dave Stevos
Haydock and Ascot Saturday Racing Tips
Rowland Ward halved in price but he was only out for a run last weekend judging by the tactics deployed by Nick Schofield. He seemed keen to be near the front from the outset, a strange approach on a hold up sort. No doubt he’ll pop up in a big handicap later this season, possibly at Aintree. Hopefully we can end our barren spell this weekend. Check out Dave Stevos’ Haydock and Ascot Saturday tips below.
1.50 Haydock – Graduation Chase (Class 2)
As seems to be the case with so many races this season, a small field of just four will battle it out for the £26k first prize in this 21.5f Class 2 race. It is limited to horses that have not won more than twice over fences and Bravemansgame is odds on for Nicholls and Cobden. A Grade 1 winner over hurdles on soft ground at Newbury last December, he then finished 3rd behind Bob Olinger at the festival in March. The son of Brave Mansonnien made all on his chase debut at Newton Abbott last month. He jumped well and he easily beat Fusil Raffles by 5.5L. Bravemansgame is the second top rated in this (149) and he deserves to be the 4/6 fav on that last performance.
Itchy Feet represents the in form Olly Murphy yard and Gavin Sheehan rides. He has the most chase experience in this field with 8 starts and 2 wins. He hasn’t won since landing a Grade 1 at Sandown (20f sft) in February 2020. That day he beat Paddy Power winner Midnight Shadow by 3.5L. His last two wins have come on soft but he showed he is effective on good when chasing home Allmankind at Aintree last month (20f). Murphy’s charge is rated 155 and he has to concede 4lbs to the Nicholls horse so on paper, there shouldn’t be more than a length or two between them.
Piper Can Make Presence Felt
Alnadam has plenty of ability but Dan Skelton’s horse would prefer if it was softer. Pay The Piper, on the other hand, will relish this ground. He is currently rated just 141 but he has the potential to be better than that. By Court Cave, this 6yo produced a career best last time at Carlisle (20f sft). He spilt two very solid operators in Fiddlerontheroof and Espoir De Romay. If the ground had been a shade quicker, he might have won.
That was just his third start over fences and he has form figures of 212. The win came in a two runner affair when his only rival fell at the first. However, there was substance to that last effort and his comeback behind Minella Trump looks alright now too (conceding 10lbs and winner won three races since). Pay The Piper has yet to finish out of the first two in seven rules starts and at odds of 11/2, he could represent a bit of value against the favourite.
Haydock and Ascot Saturday Tip: Pay The Piper @ 11/2
2.05 Ascot – 1965 Chase (Grade 2)
Dashel Drasher is one of my favourite horses in training but there will be a tinge of sadness seeing him run without regular partner Matt Griffiths. He gets a great tune out of this fella but he can’t ride after being involved in a car accident. Hopefully he makes a full recovery. Rex Dingle takes over in the plate and he’ll be keen to get off to a perfect start on this Grade 1 winner. However, this bold jumping son of Passing Glance has tended to need his first run back in previous campaigns so odds of 5/2 make no appeal. He usually gallops (and jumps) his rivals into submission and to do that at this level, he’ll need to be near 100% fit.
I hope he wins but there are plenty of potential dangers. Master Tommytucker was 2L behind him in that G1 at Ascot but since then he has run two absolute stinkers. He is hard to have confidence in but it wouldn’t be a massive surprise were he to bounce back. Lostintranslation had a dreadful season in 2020/21. The 2020 Gold Cup 3rd was pulled up twice and beat a total of 73L in his two completions. In his defence, the Tizzard yard was badly out of sorts last term and he is clearly a better horse than that. His yard is in much better shape now so I expect to see an improved showing today, although this trip is probably a shade short for him.
Will Defi Deliver?
Defi Du Seuil was also extremely disappointing in two runs last season. It seems like a lifetime ago since he beat Un De Sceaux twice at Sandown and Ascot. Since then, the wheels have well and truly come off. He is still only an 8yo so all hope is not lost yet but there is no way you could consider him a betting proposition at the current prices.
Bennys King has form with Dashel Drasher that would give him a squeak. He finished 1.25L behind him in a C&D handicap in January when giving him 2lbs. He is now 8lbs better off but he was 7.5L behind the fav (and 5.5L behind Master Tommytucker) in a C&D G1 subsequently. However, he ran no race on his return when pulled up over 24f here last month. He’ll need to improve massively on that to win today.
Pistol Whipped is the outsider and he lacks a recent run. His last outing came at Uttoxeter (20f gd) when he went down by a nose to Francky Du Berlais. He was conceding 18lbs to the winner so it was an excellent effort. If he is piping fit he has the ability to figure. As a 7yo, he could still have more improvement to come. The son of Beneficial will love the ground and he has less questions to answer than a few of these. At odds of 14/1, he is the only one that makes any appeal.
Haydock and Ascot Saturday Tip: Pistol Whipped e/w @ 14/1
2.25 Haydock – Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3)
Finally a decent sized field to get stuck into with 16 runners in this 24.5f handicap hurdle. At odds of 14/1, Gladiateur Allen could go well for Jane and Chester Williams. This son of Saint Des Saints’ sole win under rules came over 21f on soft at Ascot. He signed off with a very creditable effort in a G3 handicap at Sandown (20f sft) where he got badly outpaced 4f out before staying on for 3rd. Last time out at Ffos Las (24f sft) he was far too keen and he could only manage a poor 3rd.
That run should have taken the edge off him and hopefully he’ll settle better today. The unknown for him is the good to soft ground but I think there is a good chance he’ll handle it. His win at Ascot came on probably the least testing ground he has run on and his dam is related to plenty of horses that like decent ground (Eldorado Allen, Auvergnat). I don’t think he looked in love with the conditions at Sandown and this surface could show him in a better light.
On his Ascot Novice win he is potentially decently handicapped off 129. Yes, he admittedly was well beat on 131 on his first three handicap starts but I don’t think we have seen anywhere near the best of this horse yet. At just 5yo he has the potential to rate a lot higher and while he looks a chaser in the making, the fact that connections are persisting over timber suggests they think there is a nice pot to be won with him. Hopefully today is the day and at odds of 14/1, Gladiateur Allen is the e/w pick.
Haydock and Ascot Saturday Tip: Gladiateur Allen e/w @ 14/1 NAP (6 Places W Hill)
2.40 Ascot – Ascot Hurdle (Grade 2)
Just five runners in this 19.5 f Grade 2 and Buzz is favourite for Henderson and De Boinville. The Cesarewitch winner chased home Abacadabras at Aintree on his last hurdles start (20f gd/sft). He is the best treated by the conditions of this race. He gets 6lbs from Goshen and Song For Someone and he is rated just 2lbs and 3lbs lower than those rivals. Both of those horses have plenty to prove right now in any case. Goshen is an all or nothing sort and it has been increasingly more of the latter in recent starts.
Song For Someone hasn’t built on his G2 Cheltenham win over Silver Streak. However, on the plus side, he won first time up last year and it could be that he is best when fresh. However, he had a wind-op in the off season so he is best watched today. Mollys Ollys Wishes looked good in Mares’ Listed company last time but this is a tougher assignment. She came up short against the boys in a G2 at Fontwell two runs back and she’ll need to improve to figure.
Guard Your Dreams steps back up in class after winning a handicap at Cheltenham (20f gd). He’ll like the ground and trip but he has come up short in Grade company the last three times he has tried. He is still young and he could prove he belongs at this level but 8/1 is probably correct. This is not a betting race for me. Nothing looks especially overpriced so I’ll sit it out. No Bet.
Haydock and Ascot Saturday Tip: No Bet
3.00 Haydock – Betfair Chase (Grade 1)
The big race of the day and what a contest it is. 8 are due to go to post and Irish raider A Plus Tard is the jolly for De Bromhead and Blackmore. He found just Minella Indo too good in last year’s Gold Cup. That race is undoubtedly his ultimate aim again and this will be a stepping stone towards March. The son of Kapgarde has failed to win at skinny odds on his last three seasonal bows so I would urge a note of caution to anyone considering lumping on at 13/8. He deserves to be favourite but his record fresh suggests he’ll need the run.
Bristol De Mai looks a biggish price at 4/1 considering his record around here. He has won three of the last four renewals and when he failed to win in 2019, he finished 2nd. His overall Haydock record is five wins from six starts on ground ranging from heavy to good. He is admittedly most effective on bad winter ground and he won’t get that here. You can be sure he’ll make a bold bid though and it is hard to see him out of the picture.
Waiting Patiently is a class act on his day and it will be fascinating to see how he fares with new trainer Christian Williams. This is a nice starting point for him but I think his target will be the King George. We backed him at big odds in the race last season and it wasn’t Brian Hughes’ finest hour. His next two runs weren’t great and while he has run well fresh in the past, I’ll just watch him with Kempton at Xmas in mind.
Clondaw Could Nick A Place
All of the horses near the top of the market are having their first runs back. Two that have had pipe openers are the outsiders, Chatham Street Lad and Clondaw Castle. The former would like the heavens to open as he needs it soft. Clondaw Castle, on the other hand, will relish the nice ground at Haydock and he shaped well despite needing the run on his return. He won second time up last season after finishing 2nd at Aintree so he should improve plenty for his seasonal bow.
His best run last season came in a G3 handicap at Kempton (24f gd). He won comfortably off 154 and he then followed that up with a remote 2nd in a G1 at Aintree (24f gd/sft). This 9yo is rated 157 so he needs to improve another 9/10lbs to place here, if his rivals are at their best. However, he is relatively unexposed at 24f on nice ground and the more it dries out, the better his chance will be. Hopefully he is sharper for his Charlie Hall run and if he is, he could sneak into the money at 33/1.
