| Friday, February 16, 2024 6:30 PM

Saturday’s Horse Racing Tips: Ascot, Haydock and Wincanton, February 17th

Stephen Harris

Today’s Racing Tips – February 17th

A cracking day of top class jumps action for armchair punters on Saturday, with ITV covering the pick of the action from Ascot, Haydock and Wincanton. There is a really good combination of Graded racing, with some promising novices on show at 1.50pm in the Grade 2 Reynoldstown at Ascot, and hot handicaps with decent field sizes to get stuck into (with the rain in the last couple of days sure to make underfoot conditions very testing across the country).

In this article:

Today’s Daily Nap
Today’s Value Angle
Saturday’s ITV Racing Tips

Today’s Daily Nap

L’Homme Presse

Ascot 3:35 (UK time)

The Cheltenham Gold Cup in March remains on the agenda for Venetia Williams’s classy performer, and he returned as good as ever to win at Lingfield on his belated seasonal reappearance. He has now won 7 of his 9 career starts over fences, and is likely to get a positive ride from regular rider Charlie Deutsch against inferior opposition.

Odds: NA

Today’s Value Angle

Credo

Haydock 3:15 (UK time)

Anthony Honeyball’s thorough stayer has run to a consistent level all winter in testing ground, and this 3m4f slog in the mud should be right up her street. The yard continues in top form, and she has been freshened up by a short break since her latest creditable effort.

Odds: NA

Odds are best odds available as at 9am February 17th, 2024. Odds may now differ.

ITV Racing Tips – Saturday February 17th

Time (UK)	Track	Horse	Analysis
1:50	Ascot	Henry’s Friend	Ben Pauling has a cracking young team of horses this winter, and his progressive novice chaser is fancied to handle a jump up in class to Grade 2 company at Ascot on Saturday. He has jumped with fluency to win 2 of his 3 starts over fences so far, and his proven ability in really soft ground (over timber previously) should mean these conditions are a positive under the much improved Ben Jones.
2:05	Wincanton	Rubaud	Paul Nicholl’s useful novice has been running well in victory and defeat in warm Graded company all season (better than the bare result behind the impressive Lossiemouth at Cheltenham last time), and he will relish the small field and chance to dominate from the front at Wincanton. A positive ride is always a good plan of attack round this sharp right-handed track, and his attitude under pressure could be a real asset after the last under the excellent Lorcan Williams.
2:10	Haydock	Salver	Gary Moore’s juvenile has impressed in winning all three starts for these astute connections since arriving from France, and every drop of rain that has fallen this week is in his favour. The booking of Caoilin Quinn is a positive, and a front-running ride is likely to soon have these rivals in trouble in the deep ground.
2:25	Ascot	Issam	Tom Symonds progressive handicapper has been inching up the weights without winning on both his recent starts, but he has run two cracking races in defeat and this intermediate trip could be his optimum under Daryl Jacob. He handles deep ground well (charging home up the Sandown hill last month over 2m4f), and a more positive ride is on the cards here with that stamina for further established.
2:40	Haydock	Botox Has	“Gary Moore has maintained a brilliant strike rate in the last couple of weeks, and his tough stayer will revel in the desperate ground conditions at Haydock on Saturday. He has shaped better than the bare result twice since making a winning reappearance on deep ground at Wetherby in November, and this Grade 2 is an extremely weak one for the grade.
3:00	Ascot	Tthreeunderthrufive	Paul Nicholls handicapper has bumped into a couple that are ahead of the game in two runs so far this season, and can turn silvers into gold here under the championship-chasing Harry Cobden. He is a sound jumping, through-stayer who seems certain to give his running again, with the big field no issue (battle hardened after 12 runs over fences).
3:15	Haydock	Credo	Anthony Honeyball’s thorough stayer has run to a consistent level all winter in testing ground, and this 3m4f slog in the mud should be right up her street. The yard continues in top form, and she has been freshened up by a short break since her latest creditable effort.
3:35	Ascot	L’homme Presse	The Cheltenham Gold Cup in March remains on the agenda for Venetia Williams’s classy performer, and he returned as good as ever to win at Lingfield on his belated seasonal reappearance. He has now won 7 of his 9 career starts over fences, and is likely to get a positive ride from regular rider Charlie Deutsch against inferior opposition.