Ascot Horse Racing Tips for Saturday

The latest horse racing betting tips for Saturday’s jumps card from Ascot from Racing Post tipster Keith Melrose.

Saturday's Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

13:50 Ascot - Lowry's Bar @ 2/1
15:00 Ascot - Anssam @ 7/1
15:37 Ascot - Corbetts Cross @ 9/4

13:50 Ascot - Lowry's Bar @ 2/1

It is hard to escape the argument that, if Jingko Blue and Lowry's Bar were in each other's stable, that their prices would be flipped around.

They looked pretty closely matched on their meeting in the rearranged Hampton Novices' Chase at Windsor four weeks ago. Yes, Jingko Blue was full value for his win of just over two lengths. But there would have been that much distance and more lost by Lowry's Bar when he ploughed through the third-last fence. At that point, he was favourite in-running to win and the visual impression broadly agreed with that.

The obvious difference today is that Jingko Blue has picked up a 5lb penalty for winning that Grade 2. Lowry's Bar avoids it. Second, Ascot is a stiffer task than Windsor and this is likely to be a true test at three miles. That is likely to suit Lowry's Bar, who is from a family of stayers and shapes like more of a stayer than Jingko Blue.

Nicky Henderson, who trains Jingko Blue, has earned the loyalty he gets from punters. However, Philip Hobbs is having a resurgence this season with long-time assistant Johnson White now on the licence and it would be wrong to price these two young chasers so far apart on form.

15:00 Ascot - Anssam @ 7/1

After he ran over fences here four weeks ago, on his first chase start in the best part of two years, I immediately thought of next week's Racing Post Chase for Annsam. Here is a horse who has always been best going right handed, away from deep ground and under positive riding. Kempton would suit him ideally.

His connections have chosen a slightly easier option, which may prove to be a deft move as this is still a £100,000 race with a first prize that is well worth winning. Annsam has the course form, too, having won a Premier handicap over this course and distance in 2021.

After missing all of 2023-24, Annsam has been built up gradually back to form. He ran twice over hurdles, then returned to fences in a race won by In D'Or here at the Clarence House meeting. He was not given the most positive of rides that day and the chances are he was there mainly to reacclimatise to fences. He is on a good mark and has everything in his favour to run a big race.

15:37 Ascot - Corbetts Cross @ 9/4

The assumption that Pic D'Orhy will keep turning up has been tested in recent times and that is the best way into the Ascot Chase, even though the ante-post market quickly moved against him on Monday and Tuesday.

Pic D'Orhy has essentially run only twice in the last 12 months and both of them were substandard efforts. He blobbed completely in the Melling Chase and made a meal of beating handicappers here in November.

There are good options to oppose him in the Ascot Chase. L'Homme Presse is the known class angle. In the last 12 months he has been fourth in the Gold Cup, third in the King George and won the Cotswold Chase. But he is more comfortable going left-handed over longer trips.

The bet therefore is Corbetts Cross, so long as connections deem the ground suitable. He won the National Hunt Chase in March, but is nowhere near as slow as that makes out. He ran a blinder in a running of the Aintree Bowl that put the emphasis on speed and was sent off much shorter than L'Homme Presse for the King George.

That race did not go well for Corbetts Cross. Getting too far back is less of a hazard in this much smaller field and he can land a deserved first success at Grade 1 level.

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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.