ITV Racing will be covering another busy day of jump racing on Saturday with action from Clarence House Chase Day at Ascot and from Haydock’s Peter Marsh Chase Day.
- 1:25 Haydock: Sky Bet Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle – Hurricane Pat @ 15/8
- 1:40 Ascot: BetMGM Warfield Mares’ Hurdle – La Conquiere @ 6/4
- 2:00 Haydock: Sky Bet Peter Marsh Handicap Chase – Myretown @ 2/1
- 2:20 Ascot: bet365 Handicap Chase – Heltenham @ 11/1
- 2:35 Haydock: Sky Bet Acca Freeze Handicap Hurdle – Both Barrels @ 7/1
- 2:53 Ascot: BetMGM Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle – Tripoli Flyer @ 8/1
- 3:30 Ascot: BetMGM Clarence House Chase – Il Etait Temps @ 1/2
Coverage on Saturday begins at Haydock and the Grade 2 Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle. Nicky Henderson’s Old Park Star is the current favourite after a resounding 12 length victory at Cheltenham last month. Hurricane Pat for Gary and Josh Moore may be better value however after a strong display when winning a listed novices’ hurdle at the beginning of December.
Nurse Susan has won twice in the last month, including a listed mares’ hurdle at the beginning of January. Slight preference is for Jamie Snowden’s La Conquiere who is lightly raced and open to further improvement.
There’s a strong lineup for Haydock’s Peter Marsh Chase, a Premier Handicap over 3m1½f, headed by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore’s Ultima Chase winner Myretown. Vying for favouritism is Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith’s Konfusion who is bidding for a big handicap treble following victories in Newcastle’s Rehearsal Chase and Wetherby’s Rowland Meyrick Chase on Boxing Day. Don’t rule out Imperial Saint at a big price after a couple of credible runs so far this season.
In Ascot’s bet365 Handicap, our each-way pick goes to Dan Skelton’s Heltenham who is running off a fair mark and is better than his last run suggests, falling at Aintree on Boxing Day. A 3m½f handicap hurdle at Haydock and the 2m3½f Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle at Ascot provide the build-up to the big race of the day, the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase.
Il Etait Temps and Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon were first and second in the Tingle Creek at Sandown and are first and second in the betting for this on Saturday. The remaining runners are Harry Fry’s Gidleigh Park, who was runner-up behind Jango Baie in the 1965 Chase here in November, and Dan Skelton’s Thistle Ask who won the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter earlier in the season. An intriguing race but we think this will be another Grade 1 success for Mullins and Townend.