2023 Ascot & Haydock Saturday Preview & Tips – DS
2023 Ascot & Haydock Saturday Tips
The last chance to dance before the crazy Christmas Period. Dave Stevos’ has already posted four festive fancies, see them here. His 2023 Ascot & Haydock Saturday selections and race previews are below.
1.30 Haydock – Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase (Class 2)
While the ground at Ascot is decent, at Haydock it is anything but. It is currently heavy there so this 25.5f trip is going to take a fair bit of getting. The one that I’ll take a chance on here is the Sue Smith trained Burrows Diamond.
This 8yo mare is a daughter of Diamond Bay and she is from the family of the very classy De Boitron. That horse was at his best on better ground than this but Burrows Diamond has already proven that she can be effective on heavy.
Back in March she ran a superb race at Newcastle on heavy, beat 7L into second over 23f. She kept on really well, she just lacked the pace of the winner, to whom she was giving over a stone to. She again shaped well on heavy at Aintree two weeks ago over 20f and she ran really well on her only previous visit to Haydock.
Nick Schofield comes in for the ride and he has 3 wins and 3 top 4 finishes from just 8 rides for Sue Smith. Off 132, 2lbs lower than she was when running so well at Newcastle, Burrows Diamond is the e/w selection at odds of 14/1.
2023 Ascot & Haydock Saturday Tip: Burrows Diamond e/w @ 14/1 nap
1.50 Ascot – Howden Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Just seven runners here and only one of them is bigger than 10/1. A case could be made for El Barra at 20s but he burst when he won at Cork and he has failed to complete in three of his last five starts. Now, if he could repeat his Galway run behind Hewick from 2022 he’d have a big chance off his current mark but there was no encouragement to be taken from his run last time. Reluctantly, this will have to be a no bet race.
2023 Ascot & Haydock Saturday Tip: No Bet
2.05 Haydock – Jack Berry House Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)
No horse longer than 11/1 in this race and with a distinct possibility of a non-runner or two, we’ll give it a miss. No bet.
2023 Ascot & Haydock Saturday Tip: No Bet
2.25 Ascot – Long Walk Hurdle (Grade 1)
A cracking renewal of the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle. Eleven runners and West Balboa is currently edging favouritism ahead of Crambo. The latter horse was beat 2.5L in a G3 handicap at Haydock last time and he’ll be well suited by the good to soft ground. However, West Balboa will relish it too and while he is only rated a pound superior to the O’Brien horse, his form is arguably much stronger.
Champ is now an 11yo and he is having his first run post wind-op. Paisley Park is also an 11yo but he showed there was life in the old dog yet with a super effort behind Dashel Drasher at Newbury on his seasonal comeback. He’s 6lbs better off with Jeremy Scott’s charge now so he has to have every chance of avenging that head defeat.
Dashel is one of my favourite horses in training. He is an out and out warrior who fights tooth and nail in almost every race he runs in and it’ll take a good one to topple this teak tough son of Passing Glance.
Overpriced
This looks most likely to be fought out among the principals but if Crambo is a 7/2 shot surely Gowel Road shouldn’t be 25s. Trained by Nigel Twiston Davies, this course winner was beat 4.5L in the same race as Crambo last time. He was only a length or so behind the O’Brien horse but he was conceding a pound to him and they meet off level weights here.
Gowel Road will handle the decent ground and he ran out an 18L winner in a handicap chase off 146 on his sole previous visit to Ascot. With Sam Twiston Davies riding for Dai Walters at Haydock, Gavin Sheehan comes in for the ride. He is 5/14 for the yard with 7 top 4s, an excellent record. I think Paisley Park and Dashel Drasher should both be thereabouts but at the prices, Gowel Road has to be the e/w selection.
2023 Ascot & Haydock Saturday Tip: Gowel Road e/w @ 25/1
3.00 Ascot – Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase (Premier)
I had my eye on Blackjack Magic for the Welsh Grand National but he pitches up here instead. This looks an easier target and a 6lb rise for his emphatic win at Wincanton last time doesn’t look overly severe.
Flegmatik has run well on his last three visits to Ascot and he surely has place claims again. In November (24f sft) he shaped nicely before unseating at the last when likely booked for a place. Then last time over 21f (gd) he again ran a good race to finish second, 9L behind the winner Your Darling.
The handicapper dropped him to 137 after that effort. That’s just 2lbs higher than he was when beat a neck by Our Power over this trip at Kempton back in February. In November 2022 he was beat just 4L off 138 here over 21f (gd/sft) so there is no doubt he is competitively weighted.
Clearly, Flegmatik is a hard horse to win with but if things drop right for him and Harry Skelton, hopefully he can stay on late for a place at least at odds of 12/1.
2023 Ascot & Haydock Saturday Tip: flegmatik e/w @ 12/1 NB
3.35 Ascot – Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle (Premier)
The interesting one here if fit after a break has to be Salsada. Brian Ellison and Gavin Sheehan team up with this fragile but very talented daughter of Mukhadram. This dual purpose mare is rated 91 on the flat and I think she could be well handicapped today off a mark of 126 over timber.
On her last start over hurdles she finished a creditable fifth behind Rubaud in the Scottish Champion Hurdle off 130. It was the first time in five runs she finished out of the first two in this discipline. On her previous hurdle run she finished second in a Doncaster Mares’ G2, 6L behind Epatante.
This type of ground should be perfect for her and that run behind Epatante came after a similar break to the one she’s had before this race. If she can repeat that level of form off her current rating of 126, she is surely capable of sneaking some place money here at odds of 33/1.
