SATURDAY’s racing offers up some tasty festive appetisers ahead of next week’s festive bonanza, which begins with a bang on Boxing Day.
It’s always nice to attempt to pay for the Christmas turkey before it’s cooked, and Ascot’s card presents a few good chances of doing just that.
The Grade One Long Walk Hurdle is the feature on the card and at this stage it looks a tough race to call with the market headed by Strong Leader, who won the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury last month.
Last year’s winner Crambo is set to reappear, while Gordon Elliott’s The Wallpark could also have a big part to play, so it’s a race I’m happy to advise a watching brief on.
Instead, SECRET SQUIRREL in Ascot’s finale (3.35pm) is my idea of an excellent each-way bet.
Hughie Morrison’s five-year-old made a good reappearance over this course and distance in early November, when finishing strongly to be beaten just over three lengths into third.
He wasn’t fluent at the last two hurdles there too, which checked his momentum, and if tidier in the jumping department, he would have finished closer still.
Better can be expected now with that run under his belt and it’s notable that he remains on the same mark of 126.
That means he sneaks in at near the foot of the weights and there’s no doubt he remains a well-handicapped horse.
The main danger looks to be the Skelton’s Be Aware, who was an excellent second on his return to action in the Greatwood Hurdle.
He has paid a price for that though with the handicapper raising him seven pounds, and I’d rather be with Secret Squirrel at a bigger price of around 7/1.
Last year’s Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase (3.00pm) was won by the Venetia Williams-trained VICTTORINO and he looks to have been primed for a repeat success.
He returned in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury a few weeks ago and ran a remarkable race in such a competitive heat after over 260 days off the track.
For much of the contest it looked like he was set to fall out of the back of the TV as he struggled to jump with any sort of fluency, yet Charlie Deutsch kept him going and it proved for good reason as he flew home to finish third, apparently still full of running.
He didn’t ever look to be happy going left-handed at Newbury, and his two previous runs at Cheltenham suggest he might not appreciate running counterclockwise.
Back running in the opposite direction at Ascot, where he has won two of his three starts, I think we could well see a different horse.
He’s usually a very sound jumper and if Deutsch can get him into a good rhythm early on, I think he’ll be very tough to beat.
Now only a pound higher than when winning this race last year, he can be seen as well-treated, and his yard could not be in better form heading into this.
While there isn’t that much juice in his price at around 5/2, I still feel that could be made to look good value come race time.
The Changing Man and Trelawne appear to be Victtorino’s main dangers, but both have gone up in the weights after good runs last time out, and this contest could be at the mercy of the deadly Deutsch and Williams combination.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Victtorino e/w 3.00pm Ascot
Secret Squirrel e/w 3.35pm Ascot