Simon Holt best bets for Ascot on Saturday

By Simon Holt

Horse Racing

Sat October 05, 2019 · 5y ago

Two bets for our in-form pundit on Saturday's Ascot card including course specialist Ripp Orf in the bet365 Challenge Cup.

Recommended bets:

2pts win Ripp Orf in 3.10 Ascot at 11/2

2pts win Wells Farhh Go in 2.35 Ascot at 7/1

For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record

The big betting race at Ascot on Saturday is the bet365 Challenge Cup Handicap featuring many of the usual suspects such as Raising Sand, Kynren, Escobar and RIPP ORF who regularly run in similar races on the course.

The last-named has a formidable record here in seven visits and is now 13lb better off for the two lengths he was beaten by Raising Sand in this race (soft) last year.

Of the two, Raising Sand has had a more successful campaign this time, and took the International on King George day (Ripp Orf fourth) but his new mark of 109 looks punitive and the selection's latest run, beaten a neck by Salute The Soldier and dead-heating for second with subsequent listed winner Tabarrak (with Escobar, possibly better over a mile, fourth) suggests he is poised to strike winning form again.

For much of the season, Ripp Orf's trainer David Elsworth has been in unusually subdued form but Dogged was a good winner for the yard last week, and the booking of Gerald Mosse is most appealing.

Away from the usual suspects, Bedouin's Story looks likely to run well as this improving sort followed up his soft-ground York win with a decent second in a strong-looking handicap at Chelmsford.

(video no longer available)

The likely ground conditions should suit several of the runners in the Property Raceday Targets £3m Cumberland Lodge Stakes in which WELLS FARHH GO could take some pegging back.

The four-year-old hasn't been seen at his best in both the Goodwood Cup (went off too fast) and the Ebor (held up) on his last two starts but has the ability to boss this small field as when successful at Newmarket earlier in the season and when winning last year's Bahrain Trophy, also at racing's HQ.

This is the first time that Wells Farhh Go will encounter cut in the ground since winning both his starts as a two-year-old at York (on good to soft) and, providing he doesn't get too keen for David Allan early on, I can see him slipping the field.

Morando is a proven mud-lark but carries a penalty and his recent Newbury conqueror Technician made little impression in the St Leger subsequently, while this is a step up in class for the generally progressive Faylaq who was the easy winner of a handicap at Kempton recently.

Preview posted 1500 BST on 04/10/19