Our resident tipster Ben Morgan gives his best bets from Saturday’s action at Ascot and York
Ascot 1.40 – Tango looks to have all the right steps
This looks a good renewal of the Princess Margaret Stakes and I’d give plenty a chance.
At the prices, I think I want to be on MIDNIGHT TANGO at around the 11/1 mark who ran a lot better than the bare result suggested last time out.
Ed Walker’s filly was held up in what was a strong race for the grade at Newmarket and was the only filly to make up ground as it paid to be on the front end.
Given the undulations of Newmarket also, I don’t think that running style is necessarily suited to the track so she should be much more at home here over a straight, flat 6f.
Walker has a knack of training a good filly and I hope this is the next one off the production line.
Ascot 3.00 – Billyjoh to deliver knockout punch
It was hard not to put up Northern Express here but his price doesn’t reflect his current form and he might just need a bit of relief from the handicapper before taking a race like this again.
I’m much more interested in horses such as BILLYJOH and AALTO, who are at the right end of the handicap.
The former has an unfortunate tendency to be an unlucky loser in these competitive handicaps but the law of chance suggests he should get his head in front in one of them soon.
He was a fast finishing third in the Bunbury Cup last time out, having met a bit of trouble in the race and a repeat of that run will see him go close here.
AALTO was an unlucky loser in the aforementioned Bunbury Cup as he looked the winner all over bar on the line.
That was a big bounce back to form, and he is officially 5lb well in here. William Buick takes over the steering here, which is a big plus, and he looks incredibly well weighted with 8’12 on his back.
Ascot 3.35 – Hickory looks primed to strike again
Course specialist HICKORY is only a pound higher than when winning over this course earlier this season, and specialist course trainer, Jamie Osbourne, has enlisted the skills of course specialist jockey, Jamie Spencer to do the steering.
It is a strong race but given horse, trainer and jockey all excel at Ascot he looked too big at 20/1 on Friday morning.
Ascot 4.45 – Criminal to cash in on lenient handicap mark
Richard Hughes has gone on record in recent days saying he has been waiting for this race with his lightly raced three-year-old, CRIMINAL.
If you look at his form, he has been mixing it with some very smart horses and performing admirably but presumably connections are confident he has plenty in hand now he steps up to 1m 4f.
It doesn’t look an overly deep renewal of this race and any early shows of 5/1 should be snapped up.
York 2.00 – Nicholls to ride a Korker
Everyone knows about KORKER and his inability to start efficiently but he has shown enough recently to suggest he can land one of these big sprint handicaps.
Having always verged on being a Group horse he has learnt to put his best foot forwards off top weight in competitive handicaps.
Young Jack Nicholls takes off a handy 7lb and I hope that could be enough to put in a finishing kick in the final furlong which might just be enough to take this renewal of the Skybet Dash.
York 2.40 – Gardens set to flower in York Stakes
I was a big fan of STANHOPE GARDENS going into the Derby and although he didn’t finish placed in the Blue Riband event, he certainly emerged with a lot of credit.
It was noticeable, to my eye at least, how easy he was making up ground up the straight as he made huge strides to get as close to the eventual winner as he did.
Those exertions probably told in the final furlong of what was a messy race as he faded into 5th.
Given plenty of time since, he has been tasked with beating the classy Almaqam over 10f which will put my opinion to the test but I do think he has plenty of boot and ability and at 4/1 he looks the bet here.
York 3.20 – Soul Seeking to regain his crown in Jumps Jockeys Nunthorpe
He may have changed stables since he finished second in this race 12 months ago but new trainer Phi Kirby looks to have plotted his route back here rather shrewdly.
He lines up here 3lb lower than when he was second by a neck last year and 1lb lower than when he won it 2 years ago.
Clearly, he comes alive here at York, and I am sure he has been laid out for this race so at around 12/1 he looks good value.
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