ITV Racing Tips: Fakir D’oudairies can thwart Shishkin in Ascot showpiece
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Not many Saturdays left before the Cheltenham Festival yet still some decent racing to be served up.
Three meetings feature on ITV this weekend with Ascot providing the main focus as it stages the Betfair Ascot Chase.
Ireland’s Fakir D’oudairies returns to try to win the race for a second time but could meet stiff home opposition in the shape of Shishkin and Pic D’Orhy.
Shishkin is on a retrieval mission. Where this time last year he was considered unbeatable, now there are questions to answer having been pulled up at Cheltenham and only third when favourite for the Tingle Creek Chase. He is stepping up in trip in a try out for the Ryanair Chase.
Elsewhere Haydock serves up an interesting card in which the Grand National Trial is the feature while the cameras will briefly take in Wincanton which puts on the Kingwell Hurdle.
The action kicks off at 13:30 on ITV and we have previewed three of the day’s significant races in our ITV Racing Tips.
A decent-sized field has assembled for this handicap with course favourite Bristol De Mai bidding for back-to-back wins. Aged 12, he is not the force he once was but he has slipped another 5lb down the handicap since 12 months ago so can’t be written off.
Another veteran Snow Leopardess could be the alternative. She has shown up well for a long way in her most recent races, notably in the Cross Country at Cheltenham on Trials Day, yet is still coming down the handicap. First time cheekpieces may help her too.
A tight little race in which a case can be made for all four runners. I Like To Move It probably has the best profile but he ran a stinker last time out and has done most of his winning at Cheltenham. So First Street gets the vote.
He was a ready winner first time out in the Gerry Feilden Hurdle at Newbury and was not disgraced when stepping up in class to finish third in the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day behind Marie’s Rock and Dashel Drasher. Knappers Hill was behind him in fourth and a return to 2m will help.
There will be plenty willing on Shishkin as he attempts to restore some of his lost lustre. His trainer Nicky Henderson believes the answer may be a longer trip – he didn’t even enter him in the Champion Chase – so he will have to win or nearly win to take up his option in the Ryanair.
He must be a watching brief at the moment because at this trip there are few better than Fakir D’oudairies. He won this last year and this season finished second behind Galopin Des Champs and landed a Grade 2 at Thurles, admittedly somewhat fortuitously.
Nevertheless, he is at his best from this time of the year and the ground will hold no fears.
ITV Racing Schedule, Saturday, 18th February
13:50 Ascot – Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase
14:05 Haydock – Rendlesham Hurdle
14:25 Ascot – Swinley Handicap Chase
14:40 Haydock – Grand National Trial
15:00 Ascot – 2m4f handicap hurdle
15:12 Wincanton – Kingwell Hurdle
15:35 Ascot – Ascot Chase
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
