Our tipster has four selections for Saturday's ITV Racing action from Ascot and Haydock Park.
The Verdict: Saturday February 14
1pt win Crest Of Fortune in 13:50 Ascot at 9/2 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfred)
1pt win Range in 14:25 Ascot at 10/1 (bet365, 9/1 General)
1pt win Whiskey Yankee in 14:40 Haydock at 8/1 (General)
1pt win Jipcot in 15:00 Ascot at 11/2 (Coral, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power)
Thomas at the double on Saturday?
Sam Thomas has been in super form all season, as a strike-rate of 35% for the campaign underlines, and he could land a couple of blows at Haydock and Ascot on Saturday.
Over at Haydock he runs WHISKEY YANKEE in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle over three miles and the five-year-old looks well capable of mixing it with these rivals.
Granted, he has to find a chunk of improvement on his bare form, but he has bags of potential after just one run over hurdles where he defied inexperience at Ascot to beat Nicky Henderson’s Laguna Beach and Joe Tizzard’s Kasino Des Mottes, where stamina won him the day over the extended 2m5f.
Both of those rivals had experience under their belts – Laguna Beach was having his third hurdles run and Kasino Des Mottes his fourth – so it was an excellent effort from Whiskey Yankee, especially given he wasn’t fluent three out and he was awkward at the last.
There’s room for improvement in the hurdling department, but he looks all stamina and is a full-brother to Ed Keeper who improved a bundle when stepped up to three miles from two-and-a-half.
Similar progression would give him a real chance of winning this and it’s almost expected given how his excellent trainer operates.
Down at Ascot Thomas runs RANGE in the Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle over the extended 2m3f and he’s worth backing as well.
The nine-year-old reverted to hurdles after falling over fences on his seasonal return and all the signs point to him having more to offer over timber.
Still rated 3lb lower than he is over fences, his Sandown win last time out could hardly have been better advertised by the runner-up, Henri The Second, who bolted up at the same track next time out and runs in the Rendlesham at Haydock on Saturday.
Range only went up 2lb for that and that gives him a fine chance in this race, where the softer ground will be no bother to this versatile sort.
Indeed, he impressed in victory in a Chepstow novice on heavy ground in his youth and the combination of this trip, track and conditions look ideal.
With Dylan Johnston up at Haydock to ride Whiskey Yankee, Thomas has booked the excellent Ben Jones, who is six from 20 at 30% at Ascot this campaign, and he has added cheekpieces to Range’s armoury, as well.
The Verdict: Back RANGE in the 14.25 Ascot and WHISKEY YANKEE in the 14.40 Haydock
Taking some Jip in the Swinley
Punters have latched onto Dan Skelton’s Joyeux Machin in the Betfair Swinley Handicap Chase over three miles at Ascot and you can see why.
The return of cheekpieces really sparked him back to life in the Great Yorkshire Chase last time and he had built up a handy lead when falling at the open ditch down the back.
His jumping had looked good prior to that, but he might not get such an easy lead on Saturday and I reckon JIPCOT can put it up to him under Kielan Woods.
Jonjo & A J O’Neill’s horse is the joint-youngest in the field here in a race where plenty of grizzled campaigners are out again and the seven-year-old looks to have more to offer over this trip over fences.
The extended 2m6f at Leicester last time was the furthest he’s gone over fences and his victory there was by far a career-best, a significant improvement on his first start of the season just under three weeks previously at Ayr (that form boosted by Milcree on Friday).
He jumped really nicely at Leicester, mainly in a rhythm but clever when he got in short and I liked how he brushed aside the challenge of No Tackle late on with a strong finishing effort.
There looks more to come from him over three miles and while an 8lb rise asks for more again, he’s progressive and this looks a nice opportunity for him to bag a big Saturday prize while he’s in the groove.
The Verdict: Back JIPCOT in the 15.00 Ascot
Fortune favours the brave in Reynoldstown
Finally, Anthony Honeyball’s CREST OF FORTUNE looks a good bet, on softer ground that should play to his strengths, despite being the outsider of the three-strong field in the Grade 2 IJF Ambassadors Programme Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot.
There’s nothing between this trio after favourite Thomas Mor was pulled out and Crest Of Fortune is a big price after finishing a well-beaten last in the Kauto Star at Kempton over Christmas, but that wasn’t his true running and he bled afterwards, so I’m happy to strike a line through the run.
He had Saturday’s rival Western Knight well beaten in behind in the Sefton at Aintree last spring and he started life in novice chases with some positive runs in defeat behind Zurich at Cheltenham and when fourth to Wendigo, No Questions Asked and Regent’s Stroll in a good renewal of the John Francome at Newbury in November.
Both of those runs suggested he’d improve at three miles, as befitting his pedigree, and he looks to have been underestimated at the revised prices in this small field with his trainer always one to take note of at this venue.
The Verdict: Back CREST OF FORTUNE in the 13.50 Ascot
Preview posted at 15:50 GMT on 13/02/26
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