Simon Holt previews Saturday's ITV action and he's siding with three horses in the Shergar Cup at Ascot.
Saturday ITV Tips
1pt win Existent in 1.35 Ascot
1pt win Zoffee in 2.10 Ascot
1pt win Russet Gold in 4.30 Ascot
ITV4 selections: EXISTENT 1.35 Ascot, ZOFFEE 2.10 Ascot, Fantastic Fox 2.25 Haydock, Pride Of Priory 2.45 Ascot, Al Aasy 3.00 Haydock, Silent Film 3.20 Ascot, Carolina Reaper 3.40 Newmarket, Rajasthan 3.55 Ascot, RUSSET GOLD 4.30 Ascot, Porta Fortuna 4.40 The Curragh
NEWMARKET trainer Stuart Williams will be delighted that his sprinter EXISTENT has been matched with the excellent Tom Marquand in the opening Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash at Ascot on Saturday.
The champion jockey aspirant has been in sparkling form recently and his mount showed definite signs of returning to form behind race and course specialist Lord Riddiford at Goodwood early last week.
While no match for the winner, who almost certainly had a track advantage near the stands rail on the rain affected ground, Existent led ten others home despite not getting the clearest of runs.
The five-year-old has certainly become well handicapped off a mark of 98 compared to a peak rating of 107 achieved in 2022 when, among several good efforts, he split Khaadem and Saint Lawrence in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket.
Existent bids to end a losing run here but he’s mostly been running in Group races this season and, back into handicap company again, he looks sure to go well if repeating that Goodwood effort.
Frankie Dettori looks to have drawn a very good mount aboard ZOFFEE in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers’ Handicap.
Formerly best known as a useful hurdler/chaser for Philip Hobbs, the seven-year-old is more than decent on the Flat too and went under by just a neck to Metier in the Chester Cup in May.
Zoffee faced a tough task from a wide draw over a trip (2m4f) probably just beyond him in the Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting but, even so, ran really well to finish sixth behind Ahorsewithnoname, and it’s possible that a subsequent disappointing effort in the Northumberland Plate came a bit too quick.
Hopefully freshened up since, he has a great chance in this smaller field off just a 1lb higher mark than at Chester and will not want for saddle assistance from his rider who knows every blade of grass on the course.
In the closing Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint Handicap for three-year-olds, it could be worth taking a chance with RUSSET GOLD seeing out the stiff six furlongs with Olivier Peslier aboard.
Roger Varian’s gelding has had just seven career starts winning at Pontefract last season and Redcar in June over five furlongs, and was beaten only a length and a half when staying on well on the outside at the former (very stiff) course last month against older horses.
That wasn’t the first time that Russet Gold has shaped as if a bit further would suit and he has an Ascot pedigree being a full brother to this year's Wokingham winner Saint Lawrence and a half brother to Daahyeh who won the Albany Stakes, also at the Royal meeting.
Likeable and lightly raced, he looks capable of rating more highly.