Pipe’s Juran can fill Ascot punters with Joy
SATURDAY’s Ascot Chase (3.35pm) is the final Grade One of the season prior to the Cheltenham Festival, and that means we’re due to see some familiar names battle it out for this valuable prize.
There’s no more familiar name than Jonbon running here, and it looks like it’s his to lose.
The trip, the track and the ground all look perfect for him, and there really isn’t anything entered that’s in his league.
This ought to be a cakewalk win en route to bigger assignments in the spring, but his current 8/15 price doesn’t appeal as an ante-post bet.
Thankfully, there are other Ascot contests that present much more interesting betting propositions.
The valuable two-mile-and-three-furlong handicap hurdle (2.25pm) is full of horses who aren’t the most reliable, such as the favourite Tripoli Flyer.
He threatened to be very good as a novice, but he doesn’t do things easily, has jumping issues, and often finds ways of getting himself beaten.
He did just that at Ascot last time, and while he deserves to be favourite, he’s short enough.
Listentoyourheart is a good horse in her own right, but the expected rain wouldn’t be in her favour, and Captain Teague, Act Of Authority and Fiercely Proud all have questions to answer.
I’m drawn to JURANCON for the in-form David Pipe team, who are operating at a 33% strike-rate in the last two weeks.
Jurancon won three races last season as he progressed as a novice, including when beating Tripoli Flyer at Chepstow.
Connections gave him a wind-op in the summer, but it’s fair to say that he didn’t set the world alight when probably needing the run on reappearance at Cheltenham in November.
He was disappointing back on better ground last time out, but with the stable in better form now, I think he’s becoming dangerously well-handicapped.
Pipe has probably targeted him at this and the 10/1 is worth taking.
In the staying handicap chase (3.00pm), I can’t get away from JOYEUX MACHIN.
He was going so well when he came down at Doncaster on his last start, and you just know he’s going to give punters a great spin.
Tristan Durrell is back on board to make amends, and I think he’s a cracking bet at 8/1, with Dan Skelton sure to win a big Saturday prize like this with him before too long.
Over at Haydock, there’s also quality action with the William Hill Half A Mill Grand National Trial (3.15pm).
The Skeltons have another big chance here with Deafening Silence, and his claims are rock solid.
However, I’m after a bigger-priced pick, and GIT MAKER fits the bill at 10/1.
He was third in the race last year and loves soft ground, which is a cracking profile for this contest.
You can put a line through his most recent run in the Welsh National, as the going was much too quick for him, and said to be even faster than the official good-to-soft description.
The handicapper even dropped him down to 129 after that, which is nine pounds lower than when he finished third in this 12 months ago.
Myretown would deserve serious respect if he were to run, but it sounds like connections are favouring Kelso instead, so that’s one fewer rival to take on.
Git Maker’s handler, Jamie Snowden, is flying too.
Like David Pipe, he’s also operating at a 33% strike rate for the last two weeks, and Git Maker can more than trouble the Skelton jolly.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Jurancon e/w 2.25pm, Ascot
Joyeux Machin e/w 3.00pm, Ascot
Git Maker e/w 3.15pm, Haydock