Ascot Saturday Preview - 23/11/19

Ascot lights up Saturday's jumps racing with a special seven race card and in the first contest of the day we fancy the Nigel Twiston-Davies trained Redford Road.

The five year old although being top weight in this Class 2 race has been superb this season with two runs and two wins and should progress again for his runs already this year.

He finished second in a bumper on his only start last term but has took to life over hurdles like a pro landing two nice events at Warwick and Wetherby which gives him a leading form chance in this contest.

The Horse Racing Ireland Chase comes next and the Class 3 event sees a superb field of novices take to post and Colin Tizzard's runner Highest Sun looks interesting.

The five year old was a smart hurdler last season winning some nice events and started the season again over the smaller flights with a decent third behind two nice horses.

He stepped up for his chase debut at Newbury and again put in a confident run finishing a strong third behind the superstar Champ and looks like he will take all the beating if jumping well again.

The Class 3 Handicap Hurdle makes again for tricky reading with plenty of horses with things in their favour but we like the look of Rosy World.

The Suzy Smith trained mare has already had two starts to date and they have both been solid thirds in difficult events and this race looks slightly easier.

She went up to a Class 2 contest last time out and did not look out of sorts and if coming on for that going back in grade should make her very appealing.

The feature race of the Ascot card is the Grade Two Christy 1965 Chase over 2 miles 5 furlongs and the mighty Altior makes his seasonal reappearance to the track.

Altior as many will know holds the record for the most consecutive amount of wins of 19 races over hurdles and fences and he has never been beaten by even one rival which makes put him in the bracket as one of the sports greats.

Henderson's stable star has ran over 2 miles and slightly further in his career staying very consistent and not being able to be passed by anyone.

However, this season it looks as if he will be tackling a new demographic and stepping up in trip to battle it out over 3 miles and maybe further.

With this in mind he goes over this trip for the first time and if handling it should trounce the field like he normally does but there is a slight if.

Another superb contest on the card is the Grade Two Coral Hurdle which sees some exciting hurdlers take to the stage and Roksana for Dan Skelton should go well.

This mare was ultra consistent last season getting better with every run and eventually, although getting some luck, landed the Grade One Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival.

The seven year old looks to have stayed over hurdles for the season and off the back of that Cheltenham win and her second in the Grade One Stayers Hurdle at Aintree she is the one to beat having already had a run to blow the cobwebs away.

The penultimate runner of the day for us in Berkshire is the Gary Moore trained Knocknanuss in the Class 2 Handicap Chase looks like a nice each way bet.

The nine year old has been fairly consistent throughout his career in races similar to this but recently has been strong going from the front.

He should be much better for his third on his seasonal bow at at Cheltenham last time out and the softening ground will play to his strengths.

The final event of the day features a horse we have been waiting to see this season with the bumper over two miles showing off the Paul Nicholls trained Bravemansgame.

The gelding ran back in March over in Ireland at Lingstown in a point to point and hosed up by seven lengths beating a field of 11 runners, immediately taking to the sport in the three mile event.

From there he was bought for £370,000 at the Cheltenham sales at the festival and was given to 11 time champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

The youngster looks like he will have this season to find his feet and the yard seeing how good he is in bumpers with the Cheltenham festival Champion Bumper a big aim.