Nick Luck
Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: Ascot Long Walk Hurdle Day Tips
William Hill ambassador Nick Luck previews Saturday’s action from Ascot and Haydock on ITV, including the G1 Long Walk Hurdle.
Saturday, Ascot
BAD maybe a good option in the TV opener at Ascot on Saturday (1.50). He was threatening to become a little frustrating, but found his mojo where the emphasis was on speed over fences. He’s generally an excellent jumper, and has a pretty clear class edge here. He could get rolling along, and appears to be improving still based on his excellent effort at Cheltenham. The race is working out, he’s down a pound, and he’ll be happier going right-handed.
POTTERS CHARM is a speculative pick in the Long Walk (2.25). He looked a class act this time last year, before a sub-par effort at the Festival after connections had deviated from the original plan by running him on Trials’ Day. Unlike many of these, he is open to a fair chunk of improvement, and is completely unexposed as a stayer. His style and pedigree give hope that this might be what he wants, and he posted a pretty encouraging effort behind good horses last time.
VICTTORINO looks perfectly feasible for a hat-trick in the feature (3.00), and at a fair price too. His last win here came off the same mark, and there don’t look to be too many surprise packages in here. Self-evidently, he adores Ascot, and there are some encouraging signs from the stable now.
LIVE CONTI might be way too big a price in the Finale (3.35), and I know what you’re thinking – second season juvenile with a big weight on seasonal debut? No thanks. But for a horse with his lack of experience to roll up to the Aintree Grade One and run as well as he did was pretty remarkable. More to the point, the two horses comprehensively beaten behind him are now rated 144 and 141, so he might not be that badly treated. His trainer has talked of him in glowing terms, and – although he’ll nearly have to be Grade One calibre to win this – he probably is.
Saturday, Haydock
TOP OF THE BILL looks backable again in the Tommy Whittle at Haydock (2.05). He’s a strangely under appreciated horse, but he absolutely bolted up under today’s rider here last time, and we know how Haydock loves a course specialist. He’s up a chunk in the weights, but conditions are right and he’ll make a bold fist of it from the front again.
SUPREME MALINAS can win again in the Mares’ event (2.40). She bettered A Path to Ronda pretty readily at Exeter, and her attitude will always ensure she maximizes whatever ability she has.
