Ascot Long Walk Hurdle Meeting Day Two Preview

LONG Walk Hurdle day is finally here, and what a line-up that we have to look forward to. The red-hot Gordon Elliot sends over his Grade 1-winning novice hurdler Honesty Policy. But how will he fare in his first run in open company?

Before we get onto the show-stopping Long Walk Hurdle, we have five supporting races to preview.

🏇 Ascot Long Walk Hurdle Meeting day two

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12:40 Howden Graduation Chase – 2m5f

There was drama aplenty in last season’s renewal, which saw Iroko sent off as the well-backed favourite only to depart at the first fence.

The enigmatic James Du Berlais was also part of last season’s renewal, and despite being well backed on the day, he could only manage a well-beaten third. You can only hope for much the same drama this time around, but it is hard to see Iroko and James Du Berlais getting the better of FIREFOX.

Hailing from the red-hot Gordon Elliott stable, Firefox arrives here on the back of an easy win over Gorgeous Tom and Croke Park at Down Royal last month.

There was a lot to like about how Firefox conducted himself at Down Royal. Jumping well and putting the race to bed in the fashion of a horse who has yet to show his best.

He does come up against two solid geldings, rating-wise. But both have a lot of question marks to answer coming into today. Iroko is being laid out for the Grand National, so it will be seen how much connections want to get involved in the finish. And for James Du Berlais, well, he is a horse that you just can not trust that he will show his true colours.

Barring accidents, this is there for the taking for Firefox.

• Selection: Firefox 1/1
• Danger: Iroko 9/4

➡️ Bet on FIREFOX for the Howden Graduation Chase here with bet365

1:15 Karen Codd Novices’ Handicap Hurdle – 2m7f

Mark Walford has found the key to Buzz Iceclear as the son of Sea Moon arrives here on the crest of a wave after his back-to-back wins. He’s now fifteen pounds higher than when winning first time out this season, but he is hard to rule out given the ease of his latest win.

Welsh challenger Dixie Mafia showed his first real sign of form when contesting handicap company for the first time at Aintree, and he is one who looks sure to improve again.

With that said, top weight FRESH KICKS made light work of his opposition when breaking his maiden tag at Plumpton at the beginning of the month. The form may not be up to much, but it was the manner in which he disposed of his rivals that stood out.

He led for most of the contest, and when jockey James Bowen gave him the licence to go and put the race to bed, he readily pulled clear to win by six lengths. On the back of that, he has been given an opening handicap mark of 120, which isn’t a gift, but given the yard he is coming from, you can be sure they have only scratched the surface with this promising five-year-old.

• Selection: Fresh Kicks 4/1
• Danger: Dixie Mafia 6/1

➡️ Bet on FRESH KICKS for the Karen Codd Novices’ Handicap Hurdle here with BetMGM

1:50 Howden Handicap Chase – 2m3f

A wide-open handicap chase where many of the nine runners are fully exposed. The likes of Scarface, General Medrano, and Etalon are all relatively exposed over fences.

The current favourite Bad has shown to be good at Kempton, and to his credit, he has run well here in the past. He is one you simply cannot rule out, but the one who shows that there may be a lot more to come is ISSAM.

The Tom Symonds seven-year-old returned from 275 days on the sideline with a good win at Wetherby. That was his second win in three starts over fences and looked better than ever when doing so.

He has gotten away with a five-pound rise in the weights for that win, but given the clear room for improvement, this lightly raced chaser may be up to the task.

Should the ground stay on the good side of soft, then that brings Rare Edition right into the picture.

• Selection: Issam 5/1 (each way)
• Danger: Bad 4/1

➡️ Bet on ISSAM for the Howden Handicap Chase here with Betway

2:25 Grade 1 Howden Long Walk Hurdle – 3m

The showpiece event of the weekend sees an eleven-strong field line up, which includes last year’s first and second in Crambo and Beauport.

Crambo will be going for the threepeat of wins in the Long Walk Hurdle, and even though he was massively disappointing on his comeback at this track last month, you can easily forgive him for that.

It was over a trip well short of his best, and it would have simply been used as a prep race for today. However, even with his record in the Long Walk Hurdle, I find it hard to see him making it three in a row today.

The one horse that I find it hard to see why it is 11/2 right now is Strong Leader. We have enough evidence to show that he is nowhere near his best when asked to race going left-handed, and he was a well-beaten last of ten in this last season when sent off the 11/8 favourite. It would take a massive turnaround in his form racing left-handed for him to get his head in front today.

For the win, it looks to hail between the two JP McManus-owned runners. Honesty Policy makes the trip over from Ireland for Gordon Elliot, and JP is also represented by the vastly improved Impose Toi.

Honesty Policy comes here fresh and without a prep run, plus this will also mark his first introduction into open company. For a horse who was beaten at 16/1 in his maiden hurdle in January, Honesty Policy made giant strides after that.

His rapid rise through the novice ranks saw him win a novice handicap at the Dublin Racing Festival, and he followed that with a Grade 1 win in the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and four furlongs.

The Punchestown Festival was up next, where he tackled three miles for the first time, only to find the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle winner Jasmin De Vaux too good for him in the end.

Having only had one run over three miles in his career, it’s fair to say that Honesty Policy is unexposed over this trip, but I think he will learn a lot from today’s outing against seasoned stayers.

That leads me on to IMPOSE TOI, who himself is unexposed over this trip, but comes here on the back of a battling win over Strong Leader at Newbury.

He may have won by only a half a length in the end, but jockey Nico de Boinville didn’t do his mount any favours jumping him into the back of Strong Leader at the final hurdle.

He was lucky not to fall, but in the end, Impose Toi did really well to regather his momentum and win in the end. He meets Strong Leader on six pounds worse terms here, but given that he is so unexposed over this distance, there is likely a lot more to come from the Nicky Henderson inmate.

For each way bettors, the ten-year-old Colonel Mustard has suddenly found the key to winning, and could well fight it out for a place finish at big odds.

• Selection: Impose Toi 10/3
• Danger: Honesty Policy 11/4

➡️ Bet on IMPOSE TOI for the Grade 1 Howden Long Walk Hurdle here with SBK

3:00 Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase – 3m

As always, the Silver Cup looks wide open, and this year it’s hard to rule out any of the twelve that line up today.

Blow Your Wad was a beaten favourite over this course and distance last month, but gets a chance of redemption today off the same mark. He ran like a horse that had taken a blow and then ran on at the finish. Should he come forward fitness-wise for that outing, then there is every chance that he will gain redemption today.

The talented but frustrating Johnnywho arrives here on the back of what was a worrying time for his stable.

But now that the O’Neills seem to be over the worst of whatever forced them to close down their stable for weeks, we could see Johnnywho back to somewhere near his best. He is currently only five pounds higher than when narrowly beaten in the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival (eleven lengths clear of third).

Should he put his best foot forward, then he has what it takes to defy this sort of mark. However, the one that is sticking out like a sore thumb is Ascot specialist and last year’s winner, VICTTORINO.

From five visits to Ascot, the Venetia William-trained seven-year-old has won four times, and the latest of those wins came off this very mark. He warmed up for this as he did last season with a run in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.

Even though he was well beaten this season, William’s horses were not running well at the time. However, they seem to have turned a corner with four winners in the past eleven days.

We know what we are going to get with Victtorino, and that is a big run over a course and distance that he relishes.

Of the others, Threeunderthrufive, and Transmission can outrun their odds

• Selection: Victtorino 6/1 (each way)
• Danger: Blow Your Wad 5/1

➡️ Bet on VICTTORINO for the Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase here with bet365

3:35 Ascot Rotary Club Festive Handicap Hurdle – 2m

A fantastic ending to the Long Walk Hurdle meeting at Ascot, as some talented and unexposed hurdlers square off.

There’s a suspicion that the Moores may have finally found the key to how to ride the headstrong Mondo Man. This four-year-old was produced to go and win his race at Lingfield at the end of November, but he seemed to run around when hitting the front, which caused him to make a mistake at the last. Ultimately, that mistake cost him the race.

Now that connections are more clued in to what to expect, it’s easy to see jockey Caoilin Quinn delaying his challenge as late as possible to try to finally get Mondo Man’s head in front. However, even though they may have cracked the code on how to ride him, at his current price, there are too many risks attached to trusting Mondo Man to get his head in front.

Wilful is one who has shown himself well up to this level in the past, and he looks sure to be on the premises once again. However, he was just over one length behind ALEXEI in the Welsh Champion Hurdle, who has since gone on to win the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham, and he may find it hard to reverse that form even with the big swing in the weights.

Alexei was one of the most impressive winners of the Greatwood Hurdle that we have seen in the last ten years, pulling six lengths clear of Helnwein.

What was so impressive about that win was how he turned what was looking like a battle into a rout in a matter of strides. There is no doubt that we have yet to see the best of Alexei, and top weight may not be enough to stop this exciting hurdler from claiming back-to-back premier handicaps.

Sticktotheplan and Live Conti look like solid each way alternatives to the selection.

• Selection: Alexei 9/2
• Danger: Wilful 11/2

➡️ Bet on ALEXEI for the Ascot Rotary Club Festive Handicap Hurdle here with BetMGM

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