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Ascot’s Horse Racing Tips for Saturday

The feature card on a Saturday of top action comes from Ascot, where we will see a sequel to one of the most famous races of recent times in the Clarence House Chase. Energumene and Jonbon face off in one of the clashes of the season at 15:32.

There are plenty of well-contested races to get stuck into and here are the best bets from the Racing Post's Keith Melrose.

Horse Racing

Saturday's Ascot Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

13:05 Ascot - Unanswered Prayers @ 3/1
14:15 Ascot - Scarface @
5/1
15:32 Ascot - Energumene @
2/1

13:05 Ascot - Unanswered Prayers @ 3/1

This race contains few of the usual suspects from the regular diet of 3m handicap chases at Ascot. It is a refreshing change, with the return to fences of Pats Fancy and Annsam both likely to inform us down the line.

Today, much more interesting is In d'Or and, particularly, Unanswered Prayers. The selection has really found his stride this season. He won the Southern National at Fontwell, then turned up in the London National at Sandown last month.

That race was over further than 3m4f and Unanswered Prayers seemed to not quite get home in a race won by dour stayer Mr Vango. He is perfectly effective on soft ground and over this slightly shorter trip. He showed that here in November 2023, when he fell at the last in a race won by Victtorino when looking set to finish second.

With him in such good form, conditions being suitable and this race not being the strongest for the track, Unanswered Prayers makes plenty of appeal.

14:15 Ascot - Scarface @ 5/1

It took quite a few runs last season before Scarface got going, and when he did it was around 2m4f on soft ground. He has tracked a similar path this season, really hitting stride back up in distance the last twice, including when second to the reopposing Kotmask here four weeks ago.

Scarface is 3lb better off for less than two lengths, but that is only part of the case. At the start of the season, you would have thought him more likely to go up to 3m rather than drop back to 2m and so this first attempt at 2m5f looks a good chance for him to take a step forward.

Brendan Powell takes the ride again and Scarface has snuck in right at the bottom of the weights.

15:32 Ascot - Energumene @ 2/1

The difference in price between Energumene and Jonbon looks strange to me. I had it as more or less a toss-up, but the betting is quite clearly on Jonbon's side.

The case for Energumene does not need a lot of spelling out. He is a dual Champion Chase winner who made a winning comeback six weeks ago, with form that has been franked since by the King George winner coming out of the race.

OK, so Banbridge was conceding 10lb and would have emerged as the better horse at the weights had he not exited at the last. But that was Energumene's first run since the spring of 2023, so he can be expected to come on for the experience.

He is also on home turf nearly as much as Jonbon. The latter has never run over fences at Ascot. He has loads of form at Sandown, which should translate but an assumption needs to be made. Meanwhile, Energumene ran a stormer when just touched off by Shishkin in this race three years ago.

Jonbon, classy and admirable though he is, will never be as good as 2022's Shishkin was and Energumene is a serious threat.

Read more horse racing betting tips and predictions on site.

Read more Ascot horse racing news on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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