Harry Means Business At Ascot

There is some brilliant racing in Navan on Sunday with some potential stars of the future pitching up but there’s only one place to start this weekend and that is with the proper Cheltenham Festival contender looking to extend his winning sequence in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

Harry Knows
Whatever Harry Fry did to turn Unowhatimeanharry into a consistent handicapper who never managed to be good enough on the day to a relentless galloper who, for his last six starts, continues to shrug off everything in his way, has paid massive dividends. He’s now a leading contender for the World Hurdle at Cheltenham having won the Albert Bartlett at the same meeting there last season.

Barry Geraghty’s first time to sit on the horse was at Newbury last time out and he was suitably impressed with the ease that his mount took care of the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle and now a similar assignment awaits in the Grade 2 Long Walk Hurdle.

The step up to Grade 1 open company can often be a difference but these sort of races look to be right up his street and the eight-year-old may well be favourite for this assignment but he’s very much a worthy one and there’s nothing to suggest that the winning run is going to end this weekend.

5/4 may look short, but it could prove a massive price shortly after 2.30pm on Saturday.

Martin’s on a Mission
Four Irish runners head to Ascot for the valuable Wessex Youth Trust Handicap Hurdle and Tony Martin is responsible for three of them with Noel Meade training the other.

Over a year since he ran over hurdles, Golden Spear is the current market leader to exploit his handicap mark with a light weight on his back and snare another big handicap for Tony Martin and while he has been absent over hurdles, his flat form has been very good in the meantime and he definitely goes over with a live chance.

However, despite the respect connections have to get and the light weight this clearly talented horse has, winning a handicap like this without jumping hurdles at that speed is just too much of a risk at 5/1 and therefore the lightly raced Meet The Legend is given the nod.

Again there are some concerns about this five-year-old in that he has never ran in a field bigger than ten and it will be his handicap debut and having only raced in three hurdles. Although, the Skeltons know the time of day when it comes to placing their horses and

Meet The Legend could be a long way from his full potential off his current handicap rating of 138 so hopefully he will add to the Christmas expenses at 7/1.

Recommended Bets:
Unowhatimeanharry – 2.25 Ascot
Meet The Legend – 3.35 Ascot

*Prices subject to fluctuation