Horse Racing tips: Ruby Walsh and Frank Hickey’s Saturday selections across the tracks

Ruby and Frank round up their slick Saturday picks

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change

Ruby Walsh and Frank Hickey have tipped up their most likely winners from across the tracks ahead of a stacked Saturday.

The dynamic duo have already revealed their best bets for all the races due to be shown on ITV, but they’ve also pulled out all the stops to flag up some promising punts that will not be on the box.

Speaking on the latest episode of Paddy Power’s From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, Ruby and Frank assessed action at Ascot and Taunton as well as Haydock – although the latter faces an 8am inspection due to heavy rain.

Ruby Walsh

1.57pm, Navan – Wolf Prince

(Inspection at Navan scheduled for 8am on Saturday)

There is a decent handicap hurdle here. I did think Jukebox Jive bolted in here two runs back, but he was disappointing on his last start and I was interested that Johnny Moore has gone for WOLF PRINCE over Jukebox Jive. They have both been trained by Gavin Cromwell and his horses seem to be flying.

Wolf Prince was second to Grand Roi at Limerick at Christmas, and was second to Call Me Lyreen at Naas before that – both over 2m. Stepping up to two-and-a-half, Wolf Prince just caught my eye.

 

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Frank Hickey

12.40pm, Ascot – Tritonic

This race has been a stepping stone for some nice juveniles in the past with the likes of Goshen, Top Notch and Balder Succes among the recent winners. Punctuation and Stepney Causeway were very useful on the flat, both rated in the mid 80’s but TRITONIC was the most useful of these on the flat, just getting touched off in a Royal Ascot handicap off a mark of 95 and he finished the season with a decent fourth in a strong three-year-old handicap at Newmarket. He finished the season rated 99, with a Listed second to subsequent Grade 1 winner Subjectivist another pointer to his ability. There won’t be many higher-rated flat juvenile heading over hurdles this season and his trainer Alan King is adept with juveniles, so one would imagine that he should take to this discipline. This is a nice little race and an impressive performance here could thrust him into the mix for the Triumph Hurdle in March.

12.55pm, Haydock – Marown

(Inspection at Haydock scheduled for 8am on Saturday)

Allart will be all the rage here after making a winning chase debut in an Ascot Grade 2 last time. He was very impressive in the final half mile of the race but his jumping in the first half of the race in particular wasn’t brilliant to put it nicely. While the ground was soft at Ascot, it will be bottomless at Haydock and I’m not sure he can get away with a similar display of jumping here and still produce such a strong finishing effort. He also carries a penalty for the Ascot win and I just think he is worth opposing and MAROWN is the one I like against him.

Marown is four out of five under rules, winning his bumper and both starts over hurdles – both over two-and-a-half miles on testing ground. His only defeat was when dropped to 2m on his chase debut at Ayr and the trip was just too sharp for him but for his second chase start he was stepped back up to two-and-a-half miles and he was a nice winner at Ayr. The second, Port Of Mars, won very easily in a fair race at Hereford on his next start to give the form a solid look and with conditions in Marown’s favour he might be able to take advantage if Allart’s jumping isn’t up to scratch here.

 

Haydock Park

Horse Racing tips: Frank Hickeys’s top picks for Saturday’s ITV racing

1.57pm, Navan – Damalisque (Each-Way)

(Inspection at Navan scheduled for 8am on Saturday)

I fancy DAMALISQUE in this one. This horse was a Listed hurdle winner in France in 2017, and then switched to Edward Harty and was tried in Grade 2 company on his stable debut at Fairyhouse but wasn’t good enough for that. He had two years off the track and reappeared in the Amateur Rider’s Derby at The Curragh in October. He was second behind Mt Leinster, beating nice horses like The Names Jock and Run For Oscar. He was 5/2 for a valuable handicap hurdle at Naas on his next start – that was his handicap debut off 118, and he was beaten half a length by Barnaviddaun. That was potentially a useful race, as the fourth Morosini was a big eye-catching in the Pertemps qualifier at Leopardstown. The eighth, Dandy Mag, actually won that Pertemps qualifier and the sixth, Uisce Solas, won by 12 lengths on her next start. Damalisque got 8lbs for that run but he is very unexposed for an eight-year-old and he has relatively solid each-way claims.

2.25pm, Ascot – Enqarde (Each-Way)

ENQARDE is one of the most unexposed runners in this field and looks to have solid each-way claims here. Enqarde arrived from France and only made his debut for Dr Newland at the end of November and had three relatively quick runs in just a month. On his stable debut he was touched off here over 3m over hurdles off a mark of 115 and followed that up by winning nicely in a novice hurdle up in Newcastle over 2m6f. That was an easy win and he beat two horses rated 117 to give some context to his performance. Last time he took his chance in the Tommy Whittle at Haydock off a mark of 124 and was travelling well within himself when unseating five fences from home. He gets to run off the same mark here, while track, trip and ground all suit, so everything looks set for him to run well here.

 

Royal Ascot 2020

Horse Racing tips: Ruby Walsh’s best bets for Saturday’s ITV racing

4.30pm, Taunton – Drash On Ruby

(Inspection at Taunton scheduled for 7.30am on Saturday)

DRASH ON RUBY is a full sister to Drashel Dasher who was a bumper winner and is now rated 152 over fences, so she certainly is bred to be useful. She made her debut in what looked a very useful Warwick bumper where the winner looked really useful. The second won his next start at Newbury to frank the form a little. Drash On Ruby was held up in the first half of the race and did travel well into the race but while she was well beaten in the finish, she did stay on nicely into fifth without an overly aggressive ride. She should benefit for that experience and goes into mares company here, so might be able to get off the mark at the second attempt.

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change

Ruby and Frank’s bet summary – Saturday, January 23

Ruby Walsh
1.57pm, Navan – Wolf Prince

Frank Hickey
12.40pm, Ascot – Tritonic
12.55pm, Haydock – Marown
1.57pm, Navan – Damalisque (Each-Way)
2.25pm, Ascot – Enqarde (Each-Way)
4.30pm, Taunton – Drash On Ruby

Cheltenham 2021

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