Saturday Racing Tips: Four to ponder on Clarence House day

It's Clarence House day at Ascot and Haydock stages the Peter Marsh, alongside a Supreme Trial - while there's action from Taunton and Navan too. Lots to like for a jumps fanatic like myself this Saturday.

My Saturday racing tips comprises of four selections - including a 13/8 Nap in the final race of the day (over jumps at least).

12:25 Ascot - Winston Junior @ 5/4

WINSTON JUNIOR ought to take plenty of beating in the opener - a juvenile hurdle over just shy of two miles - at Ascot on Saturday.

Faye Bramley's four-year-old was rated 89 for Jessie Harrington on the flat before joining the National Hunt ranks, and the son of Churchill made a promising start in this new discipline, finishing runner-up to a 110-rated rival on debut at Fontwell in October.

He then lined up at Cheltenham's Christmas Meeting in December, catching the eye in no uncertain terms behind the 127-rated Minella Study and in front of One Horse Town (131).

Keen throughout, the mount of jockey-of-the-moment Harry Cobden, who retains the partnership this weekend, had a luckless passage down the home straight but stormed into a clear second. With a clear run, I'm sure he'd have given the winner something to think about at the very least.

This is his third run, qualifying for the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham Festival, so that's a slight worry regarding his winning prospects, but it's a modest field and his mark of 124 should be relatively safe should he oblige. There's wiggle room there, anyway.

If on a going day, he should be winning this. He's an odds-on shot for me.

13:40 Ascot - La Conquiere @ 6/4

Staying at Ascot, where Betfred is the Official Bookmaker, for LA CONQUIERE in the Warfield Mares' Hurdle.

Jamie Snowden's seven-year-old is a novice pitched into open company, at Grade 2 level, and her rating of 128 is the lowest of the five that go to post. So, on paper, she's got a lot on her plate.

However, I've got serious doubts about her rivals. Nurse Susan reappears very quickly after a hard enough race at Sandown a fortnight ago and I suspect connections have a Cheltenham Festival handicap in mind. Joyeuse seems to have fallen out of love with the game. Ooh Betty too. Sunset Marquesa looks a bit limited.

La Conquiere is a classy sort who was just touched off in a Grade 2 mares' bumper at the Grand National Festival back in April, and she's won her first two starts over hurdles, including a Listed affair at Newbury a couple of months ago by three-and-a-half lengths.

The daughter of Le Havre is among the likely contenders for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and victory here will see her shorten considerably. I like her a lot.

14:35 Haydock - Dalston Lad @ 3/1

Over to Haydock for a three-mile handicap hurdle worth £15k to the winner - another Saturday prize that can go to Dan Skelton courtesy of DALSTON LAD.

The six-year-old Ocovango gelding was a €115k point-to-point recruit who landed a couple of bumpers early last season in good style, before the Champion Bumper at last year's Cheltenham Festival proved a step too far.

He flopped on hurdling debut back at HQ in October, but it's since come out he wasn't right, but left it behind at Doncaster the following month, finishing runner-up to a nice type of Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls'.

A facile success in a modest affair at Sedgefield on Boxing Day followed - and now he turns up on Merseyside for his handicap debut off a lowly mark of 121.

I'm quite hopeful he's better than that. The half-brother to Ultima hero Myretown has always been held in high regard at the Alcester yard, and it's time to start showing why.

16:20 Taunton - Little Ledgend @ 13/8

Last but not least, LITTLE LEDGEND in the lucky last at Taunton. Alliteration fans, rejoice.

While the majority of the best jockeys in the business are engaged at Ascot and Haydock, the champ Sean Bowen heads to Taunton for boss Olly Murphy - and I think the pair could clean up in Somerset.

Their best chance as far as I'm concerned is this six-year-old son of Yeats who goes in the 0-100 handicap hurdle over 2m3f that concludes the card.

It's been a slow start to this one's career after fetching £46k at the sales back in May 2024. He wasn't sighted in maiden and novice hurdles at Ffos Las, Chepstow and Fontwell before an improved effort on handicap debut in a good race (Class 3) at Windsor a few months ago.

He was sent off 7/5f in a lesser grade at Lingfield just before Christmas, but bumped into one in the form of Ben Pauling's Jhentong Enki, an Irish recruit who followed up at Leicester just seven days later.

I think the handicapper's decision to drop Little Ledgend two pounds is very generous - and with Bowen back in the plate, I'm expecting a huge run.

He's my Nap of the Day.

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