The horse racing broadcaster has five selections on offer for Saturday's action, including one from Willie Mullins' yard in the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase.
There are seven races on ITV this weekend, split between Haydock and Ascot, with the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase over 2m 1f the feature race of the day.
Four runners line up, with IL ETAIT TEMPS / (15:30 Ascot) looking to end a sequence of reversals in the race for Willie Mullins. Un De Sceaux was a standing dish in the Clarence House, winning it three times, but since he was beaten at 11/10 in 2020, Mullins has tasted defeat a further three times via Energumene at odds of 5/4, 4/9 and 9/4. Two of those reverses came at the hands of Nicky Henderson runners – memorably in a duel with Shishkin in 2022, and last year at the hands of Jonbon, who lines up again this year. The suspicion, though, is that Jonbon’s best days are behind him. He has twice been beaten comprehensively by Il Etait Temps, and it is hard to see why he should reverse the form.
Thistle Ask has progressed out of all recognition this season and, after wins in the Haldon Gold Cup and the Desert Orchid, he moves up to Grade 1 company for the first time. Both those races were handicaps, and he received weight in both, while the Kempton success was made easier by the departure of main market rival Ryan’s Rocket. His attacking style suits the sharp chase course at Ascot, but this will prove a much tougher test. Whilst Henderson and Mullins have had many top 2m chasers, it is perhaps surprising to note that this is an area where the Skelton camp are yet to make much of a dent at the top level. From 33 chase runners in Grade 1 races at this trip, the yard are just 2/33 (A/E 0.48), with both those victories coming from novices in the Henry VIII at Sandown: Allmankind (2020) and L’Eau Du Sud (2024).
Earlier on the card, OOH BETTY / (13:40 Ascot) may outrun her odds in the Grade 2 Mares’ Hurdle, in which she finished 3rd to Take No Chances and Kargese last season. She has not been quite at her best so far this campaign, but she should be able to cut out the running without much pressure. Nurse Susan comes here on a hat‑trick and is well in at the weights, but she comes down in trip and has an ungainly way of running, perhaps reflecting the issues she has had down the years. Joyeuse is on the comeback trail after an abortive spell chasing, but she made no show in a handicap hurdle last time, and neither rival looks at the same level as the horses Ooh Betty faced last year. However she fares, make a note of her trainer Ben Clarke, who has made an excellent start to his training career (48/336, A/E 1.21) from humble beginnings. He now shares facilities with Harry Fry, and the quality of his horses is taking a significant upturn. He is one of a few young National Hunt trainers beginning to make an impression.
VINCENZO / (14:20 Ascot) has had a frustrating season so far, finishing a creditable second in two valuable 2m 4f handicaps at Cheltenham. He has edged up the weights as a result, but this looks a weaker race, and his ability to hold a position should stand him in good stead. He is not short of speed, and even though this trip will be at the upper end of his range, the sharp track with no uphill finish should help him get his head in front of a field that looks full of exposed horses.
SURREY LORD / (14:53 Ascot) can prove he is still ahead of the handicapper in the Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle over 2m. He has a lot of raw ability, but it has taken time for it to be channelled in the right direction, and he could be the type who actually finds the stronger tempo of better races more to his advantage. He can look a little lethargic, but when the engine kicks in he has often made ground swiftly, only to idle when getting to the front. That is an ideal recipe to stay ahead of the grader, and as long as he knuckles down, he can make his presence felt under Kevin Brogan, who knows his idiosyncrasies well.
Over at Haydock, the ground may dry out significantly, which will play into the hands of MYRETOWN / (14:00 Haydock) in the Peter Marsh. He capsized in the Newbury Gold Cup and has since been thwarted by the weather on a couple of occasions. But if the forecast proves correct and it remains dry, conditions will suit him far better than Haydock specialist Royal Pagaille (yard quiet) and Johnnywho. The latter caught the eye at Ascot last time but has his own way of jumping, which he has more time to recover from on soft ground than a quicker surface. The suspicion is also that connections may have an eye on a repeat Festival bid after his narrow defeat in last year’s Kim Muir (145 ceiling).
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