Ascot and Haydock host the pick of the racing action on Saturday. At Ascot it’s the Clarence House Chase which takes top billing whilst the Peter Marsh Chase is the main event at Haydock. Both courses will play host to horses who have every chance of kicking on to secure a big win at the Cheltenham Festival in March, an event that is drawing ever closer. There’s plenty at stake in the much shorter term as well and we’ve gone through both cards to make our pick of Saturday’s best horse racing betting tips to help you cash in whether you are watching on from home or heading out to the course.
Ascot
The Clarence House Chase is the big race of the day on the Ascot card and one of the highlights of the whole season too. The Grade 1 features the renewal of hostilities between Defi Du Seuil and Un De Sceaux which promises to be a race you can’t miss.
The big one will get most of the attention but let’s not forget that it is supported by three other intriguing contests, each providing some very good betting opportunity.
1:50pm bet365 Mares’ Hurdle
Papagana is the favourite for the first ITV race of the day, the bet365 Mares’ Hurdle. Oliver Sheerwood’s seven-year-old heads to Ascot on the back of a very good performance when finishing third in the high class Long Walk Hurdle just before Christmas and is understandably being well backed to win this at 7/4 with BetVictor.
The main danger is the horse who won this last year, Magic Of Light. The bet365 Mares’ Hurdle was part of her preparations for the Grand National where she beat every horse in the field bar the seemingly unbeatable Tiger Roll. Another tilt at Aintree could be on the cards but defending this race could be just beyond her against the younger favourite who looks to be going places. It’s Papagana for us and 7/4 looks very tidy value indeed.
2:25pm Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle
The field for the next race also includes last year’s winner, with Ballymoy getting a fair amount of support to win the Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle once again. The 8/1 that bet365 are quoting looks fair enough as Nigel Twiston-Davies’ seven-year-old will only carry 2lb more than last year and that looks workable if he can get near his best. However, that doesn’t seem too likely to us and the weights tell their own story – Ballymoy is winless in the intervening 12 months.
Bold Plan (11/2) and Tea Clipper (6/1) may just represent the best of the value at the head of the market. This, however, looks a race that’s perfect for each way betting. Plenty of horses have claimed a place at long odds in the past and Colonial Dreams is ready to do likewise at 16/1 with bet365. He finished second to Ballymoy last year but has improved since that run so could prove to be overpriced. The win certainly isn’t beyond him whilst we think a place looks very probably.
3:00pm bet365 Handicap Chase
With 18 horses doing battle over 2m5f and 17 fences to navigate, the bet365 Handicap Chase is the big betting heat of the day at Ascot and a fiendishly tricky puzzle to crack. It’s certainly proven to be an unpredictable race in the past with winners going in at a variety of different prices.
Espoir De Guye (4/1) and Happy Diva (9/2) are battling for favouritism at the head of the market and it’s possible to make a decent enough case about each of them. This is the sort of race where it’s all about searching for value in the meat of the betting market though and for that you might have to go all the way down to Allysson Monterg at 12/1 with bet365. It’s a gamble in that he hasn’t been seen for almost a year but he has form running well when fresh and runs off what looks to be a lenient mark.
3:35pm Clarence House Chase
There are just five horses in the field for this year’s Clarence House Chase which may disappoint some but it remains a classy field. This important Grade 1 is often used by powerful trainers to ready their horses for the Cheltenham Festival, particularly the Champion Chase. The ante post favourite for the Champion Chase, Defi Du Seuil, is the odds-on favourite for this 2m1f contest and should get the job done at what seem fair odds of 4/5 with bet365.
Un De Sceaux is the obvious danger to the favourite. The popular 12-year-old showed there is still plenty in the tank when he pushed Defi Du Seuil all the way in the Tingle Creek Chase. Willie Mullins’ charge has his backers given the soft ground expected at Ascot and his longer odds. He should run well again but will find it tough to get the better of the favourite so it has to be Defi Du Seuil for us.
Haydock
Haydock holds its first meeting of 2020 on Saturday and it has some really fascinating contests on the card.
The Peter Marsh Chase, a race which has produced numerous Cheltenham Gold Cup winners over the years, is the main event, with the ITV Racing cameras in attendance for two more races as well.
2:05pm Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle
The Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle is one of the official trials for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Two horses have graduated from winning this 1m7½f race to claim the Supreme at Cheltenham. The ante post betting for the Supreme suggests that it will be tough for any of those in the running for the Rossington this time around but it’s Edwardstone who is rated the best chance.
Alan King’s six-year-old has two wins from two starts this season. If he were to complete the hat-trick at Haydock his price for the Supreme could well come in a fair bit. He beat some good horses in those wins and connections’ hopes are growing that they have something special on their hands. Edwardstone should put on another strong showing at Haydock by winning the Rossington at 13/8 with Unibet. Whether he can go onto even bigger things remains to be seen but he’ll do nicely for us here.
2:40pm Peter Marsh Handicap Chase
The Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup are the ultimate goals for many of those in the field for the Peter Marsh Handicap. This is a high class staying chase which is always more of a slog than the 3m1½f trip suggests as Haydock is known for its punishingly soft ground. That’s certainly the case this year with heavy ground set to greet the 10 runner field.
Previous winning form at Haydock is an important indicator of success in the Peter Marsh Handicap whilst any horse who is yet to win on soft should be immediately discounted for this year’s renewal. Experience and reliability over fences are also important. Vintage Clouds is one horse who ticks all the boxes. The 10-year-old looked much more comfortable last time out at Haydock than he did in his previous race over the Grand National fences at Aintree and can improve upon his decent course record at nice enough odds of 8/1 with Coral.
3:15pm The New One Unibet Hurdle
ITV’s final race of the day at Haydock comes in the shape of The New One Unibet Hurdle. Registered as the Champion Hurdle Trial, it’s been renamed in honour of The New One who won this race four years in a row from 2015-2018. The New One was never able to kick on and win the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham but Pentland Hills may be able to do just that.
Nicky Henderson’s five-year-old is one of the biggest, most promising young stars in hurdling at the moment and is currently the second favourite for the Champion Hurdle. A fifth place finish on his seasonal reappearance doesn’t look great in terms of bare form but he was too keen in the early stages and there was something very likeable about the way he moved on soft ground at Cheltenham. He should come on for that run and is a worthy favourite of this race at 6/4 with bet365 as he builds nicely towards peak fitness for the Cotswolds showpiece.