2024 Chester & Ascot Friday & Saturday Preview – DS
2024 Chester & Ascot Preview & Tips
We managed to land a very nice winner with Royal Dress last weekend at 20/1 (SP 33/1). Redarna also ran a blinder to nick some place money at 20s. Sterling Knight wasn’t off a yard and drifted accordingly. Tees Spirit went too fast too early and faded in the final furlong. Inisherin ran a massive race, finishing sixth but only 4.5l behind the winner and 1.5L off a place. This weekend we’ll be covering the Chester Cup on Friday and Saturday’s live ITV racing, check out our 2024 Chester & Ascot preview below.
Friday
3.40 Chester – The Chester Cup Handicap (heritage)
This is Chester’s blue riband race. A trip of 18.5F awaits a full field of 17 horses and the ground looks like it is going to be on the quick side. Unlike in sprints around Chester, being drawn on the inside is not a massive advantage over this longer trip. The last four winners have started from 14, 10, 10 & 16 so unless you are on a front runner, a low draw is not vital.
Emiyn & Solent Gateway are two potential pace angles in here and they are drawn 5 & 7 respectively. Those two will probably take them along and if they do go forward, I’m hoping Citizen General can slot across in behind them from stall 9 and hopefully get a decent prominent position.
Solid Form
Ed Dunlop’s 5yo son of Camelot last won at Kempton (16f) in February. He beat Duty of Care by 4.5l off a mark of 89 and he was getting two pounds from the runner up who was then rated 91. Duty Of Care has since hacked up off a mark of 90 and is now rated 95, so the form looks solid.
That run was admittedly on the all weather but this horse has turf form in the book too. He has flopped twice on soft ground but he has run well on three of his five starts on decent ground, including a wide margin win off a mark of 80 on good to firm at Pontefract (12f) in August of last year. He had Roaring Legend 11L back in second and he won next time out.
Dunlop’s horses are in good form (5 winners last fortnight) and the booking of Cliff Lee catches the eye. He is 3/27 when riding for Dunlop with a further 11 top 4 finishes, a frame hitting strike rate of over 50%. At odds of 33/1, hopefully he can enhance that fine record on Citizen General.
2024 Chester & Ascot Tip: Citizen General e/w @ 33/1 (6 places)
Saturday
1.30 Ascot – Peroni Handicap (Class 3)
First up at Ascot is this 12f handicap. The ground is currently good to soft, soft in places at Ascot but if the weather forecast is correct, I’d be surprised if there is any soft in it come Saturday. This looks a wide open race and with Sean Bowen taking off a valuable 5lbs, I am going to take a chance on Enthused at a nice price.
Trained by James Owen, this dual purpose son of Zoffany comes into the race on the back of a trio of promising efforts on the flat. Two of them came on the all-weather and while the form figures show an ‘0’ for his only run on turf at Newmarket (8f gd), it was a much better run than his finishing position of 10th suggests.
Tapped For Toe
He was always in a prominent position but as the pace lifted, he just got tapped for toe. He kept on pretty nicely under tender handling and he was only beat 3.75L for the win off 84. Owen’s charge was just 2.75L behind Majestic in fifth and he has since run a cracker in the Suffolk Stakes, as did the runner up Dutch Decoy.
Enthused was last sighted running a cracker at Southwell over 14f, just failing to see the trip out. 12f looks his optimum trip and his last flat win came at the distance, off 82 at Windsor in June 2022. With Bowen’s claim he is effectively 6lbs lower here and those last three runs prove he retains a fair bit of ability. If he can repeat what he did at Newmarket last month, Enthused is capable of hitting the frame here at odds of 22/1.
2024 Chester & Ascot Tip: Enthused e/w @ 22/1 (5 places Hills) NB
2.05 Ascot – EBF Fillies’ Handicap (Class 2)
We backed Rose Prick at big odds at Kempton last time in Listed company and she landed the e/w money. However, the market hasn’t missed her this time and she is only 8/1 back in handicap company. She should enjoy the ground but she’s 11lbs higher than when beaten on her last handicap start at York and that’s enough for me to pass her over at the odds.
One mare who could go well at a working man’s price is Farhh To Shy for George Margarson. This 6yo likes it at Ascot and she looks to be on a competitive mark. Her two runs this season have left a lot to be desired but she has got a couple of pounds back from the handicapper and she is now 2lbs lower than when beat 2.5L off 92 over 8f (gd) here last September.
Course Form
Margarson’s charge’s career form figures at Ascot read 016533 and only once has she been beaten further than 4.75L here. Her win came on soft but four of her six career victories have come on good or quicker so it shouldn’t bother her if the ground dries out (or not).
This is a nice pot and I am hoping that Margarson earmarked it as her early season target. Hopefully she’s trying and if she is, Farrh To Shy can reward e/w support at odds of 16/1.
2024 Chester & Ascot Tip: Farhh To Shy e/w @ 16/1
2.25 Lingfield – Oaks Trial Fillies’ Stakes (Listed)
The first of two trials for Epsom at Lingfield on Saturday, this one for the Oaks. The big unknown for many of these fillies is good ground. Six of the seven runners have yet to even run on it so this is going to be a bit of a guessing game.
Rubies Are Red is by Galileo and she has placed twice in heavy ground maidens. Given her pedigree she almost looks a certainty to improve on this ground. The two Cracksman fillies, Danielle (5/4) and Cherry Burton (33/1) could also appreciate this sounder surface. However, with just two places on offer and too many unknowns, we’ll swerve this one. No bet.
2024 Lingfield Saturday Tip: No Bet
2.40 Ascot – Victoria Cup Handicap (Heritage)
Last year’s winner Rebel Territory was drawn in stall 2. However, every other winner since 2013 was drawn in stall 10 or higher with six drawn in 18 or higher. The one I am sweet on here from a high draw in stall 23 is Streets Of Gold.
In form Eve Johnson Houghton trains this 4yo son of Havana Gold. Georgia Dobie takes off 3lbs so he’ll effectively be running off a mark of 102 here. On his last handicap start he was well beat off 105 but it was too bad a run to be true. Bar that effort, he has been a very consistent sort and he has a couple of snippets of form that suggest he could be nicely handicapped.
Listed Form
At Newmarket in August Streets Of Gold ran a blinder in a red hot Listed race. He was only beat 3l in fifth and the form is rock solid. The 112 rated Lezoo won and he was giving her 7lbs. Emaraaty Ana was 2.75l ahead in second and he’s rated 111. Shouldvebeenaring is rated 112 and he was a head in front of our selection.
Johnson Houghton’s charge was getting 3lbs from those latter rivals but even so, a literal reading of the form would suggest he has some wriggle room off 102. This 4yo has G3 course and distance form in the book, he should be suited by the step back up to 7f after a nice run at Newmarket last month and Georgia Dobie is 1/1 on him. At odds of 18/1, Streets Of Gold is the e/w selection.
2024 Chester & Ascot Tip: Streets Of Gold e/w @ 18/1 (6 places)
3.00 Lingfield – Derby Trial (Listed)
The form of his Newmarket 2nd has been let down by the winner since but even so, Salamanca is worth a second look in this Listed Derby Trial. He ran with an awful lot of promise in that Newmarket novice and to my eye, it looked like he was the best horse in the race. Hollie Doyle thought she had everything covered but a late surge by Endless Victory caught her unawares.
Jane Chapple-Hyam’s charge went down by a short head but he really should have won. A 335k yearling, he is by the top class Sea The Stars and his dam is a Listed winner. There’s lots of speed on her side of the family but this colt has inherited plenty of stamina from his Dad if his first two runs are anything to go by.
Rossa Ryan now takes over in the plate and he’ll be keen to get off the mark on his sixth ride for Chapple-Hyam. He has hit the frame on two of the previous five. Salamanca should appreciate the nice ground at Lingfield and Chapple Hyam has a good record there (5/38 with 14 top 4s). This looks a fairly open renewal so at 25/1, Salamanca is the e/w selection.
2024 Chester & Ascot Tip: Salamanca e/w @ 25/1
3.15 Haydock – Swinton Handicap Hurdle (Premier)
Off 3lbs lower than when second in this race last season, Teddy Blue looks worth chancing at a nice e/w price. Trained by the Moores, this 6yo son of Sea The Moon hasn’t really hit top gear this season. He did run a promising race when beat 5L in a valuable race at Ascot in February, beat 5L off 131, but apart from that it’s all been a bit meh.
The question is, has he lost his form or has he been lined up for a repeat bid in the Swinton? My money is going to be on the latter. He arguably might have won this last year but for a final fence blunder. It was on similar ground to what we’ll have this year and Caoilin Quinn gets another shot at the title.
His last run at Plumpton last time out looked like it was designed to keep him ticking over for this. If Teddy Blue can reproduce the form he showed in this in 2023 and he doesn’t make a hames of the last, hopefully he can reward e/w support at odds of 25/1.
2024 Swinton Handicap Tip: Teddy Blue e/w @ 25/1 (5 places) NAP
3.35 Lingfield – Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes (Group 3)
The Listed fillies’ races have been good to us so far this year, hopefully we can transfer that to G3 company. A trip of 7f awaits nine fillies in this contest and Remarquee, competitive more than once at the top table last year, is the 6/5 fav. She likes soft ground but she acts on quicker and if she’s revved up for her seasonal return, she could take plenty of stopping.
However, we have no way of knowing if she is fit or not so we may as well take her on. One that could be overpriced here is the Richard Hughes trained Les Bleus. Her rating of 94 leaves her with a bit to find with the principals but she has already run well at G2 level and on her last start at 7f on good ground, she was beat 4L into third in a Newmarket G3 by Fallen Angel.
G1 Form
The winner is now rated 116 after winning the G1 Moyglare in Ireland. The runner up was the now 100 rated Soprano and in behind her were the likes of Jabaara (rated 100) and subsequent German G3 winner Carolina Reaper.
Franny Norton has been placed in four of five previous rides for Richard Hughes, hopefully he can make it five out of six on Les Bleus at odds of 40/1.
