Horse Racing Tips: Frank Hickey’s 8 Saturday picks at Ascot, Haydock and Wincanton

Our chief number cruncher has you covered for all of Saturday's action at Ascot, Haydock and Wincanton.

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*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.

13:50 Ascot – Remastered

The odds suggest that nobody knows anything about this one! But I like Remastered here. He’s useful over hurdles and he absolutely relishes the testier grounds. He’s improved over fences too. When he won at Carlisle, he beat horses that were all rated higher than him – and he made it look relatively easy. The Pipe yard are looking good at the moment too so I think there’s a bit of value in Remastered. It’s also worth noting that Hurricane Harvey is carrying a 5lb penalty for his win at Doncaster in December.

14:05 Haydock – Emitom

From a price perspective, Lisnagar Oscar is good value but the Curtis stable aren’t in great form. Instead, I’m going to side with Emitom. He finished fourth in last year’s Stayers Hurdle and won this race very easily. Also, I think a flat track suits him best. Itchy Feet, who is going off as the favourite, has jumped great this season but he’s not worth a go at that price. I’m going to back Emitom.

14:25 Ascot – Jerrysback

You can’t rely on Musical Slave for this one I’m afraid, especially after Doncaster where he unseated the jockey. I prefer to go for the other Hobbs horse in Jerrysback with Richard Johnson on board. When he was last seen in December 2019, he ran well and was third over three miles here and was only beaten three lengths by Regal Encore. That was a decent race, with Black Corton, Kildisart, Give Me A Copper and Mister Malarky all behind.

Jerrysback was off for over a year and returned last month, where he finished third over 2m5f to Dashel Drasher. It’s a step back up to 3m here and the Hobbs stable is always among the winners. He’s not a massive price but he’s the most likely winner. The only concern is his length out but I think he’s a quality horse.

14:40 Haydock – Enqarde

Enqarde is only a seven-year-old but he has had 12 chase starts and plenty of experience over fences. However, he’s only had four starts for Dr Newland. He was second on his debut over hurdles at Ascot and looked impressive. The one I’d be the most afraid of is Sojourn but I think Enqarde is a horse going places.

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15:00 Ascot – Stolen Silver (Each Way)

I can see the case for Pileon but I’m going to go with Stolen Silver, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies. He was a useful novice hurdler last season, finishing second to Chantry House at Cheltenham when conceding a penalty and had the likes of Pipesmoker, Pileon and Shang Tang behind him. He also beat Edwardstone and Thebannerkingrebel at Haydock in a Grade 2 novices hurdle over 2m. He’s been a little disappointing in three starts over fences but he was second at Bangor in November but I still fancy him as an each-way pick here at a fair price.

15:18 Wincanton – Goshen

This is a very intriguing race. Song For Someone is the most solid option here. He won this race last year but he’s carrying a 6lbs penalty. Navajo Pass also has a penalty after beating Buveur D’air last time out. Therefore, I think you have to take a chance on Goshen. He has plenty to prove after being poor in the International Hurdle off the back of two underwhelming runs on the flat. He did have an excuse though, as he was found to have a fibrillating heart. The Gary Moore stable in also in fair form and a win here would thrust him back into the Champion Hurdle picture.

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15:35 Ascot – Riders Onthe Storm

It’s not a race I’d be mad keen to have a bet on here. Cyrname is the most talented in the field but I’m really not a fan of the horse. I think he’s very overrated. When everything goes his way he’s brilliant but when he has to scrap, he just downs tools. There could be a strong pace here, with Cyrname, Master Tommytucker and Dashel Drasher all running. If I had to pick I’d go with Riders Onthe Storm. He won this last year but he’s been appalling in two runs this season. If he sits behind the leaders who set a strong pace and gets into a good jumping rhythm early, he could have a real chance.

16:25 Haydock – Beatthebullet (Each Way)

Rebecca Curtis won this race two years ago with Lisnagar Oscar and she’s Beatthebullet‘s trainer this time out. He’s impressed recently and Haydock’s testing ground will really suit Beatthebullet. While the Curtis stable’s form is a bit of a concern, I think he is worth chancing at the price.

FRANK HICKEY’S BET SUMMARY – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20

13:50 Ascot – Remastered
14:05 Haydock – Emitom
14:25 Ascot – Jerrysback
14:40 Haydock – Enqarde
15:00 Ascot – Stolen Silver (Each Way)
15:35 Ascot – Riders On The Storm
15:18 Wincanton – Goshen
16:25 Haydock – Beatthebullet (Each Way)

*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.

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