Ascot — 4 September 2026

Class 4 · 1m0f0y · Good · 11 ran

Our bet: Tex (11/4)

Won by: Tex (FR) at 2/1F · then Dannick (GB), Atmosphere (GB)

What we said: Strong recent form figures with a win threaded through 230192, backed up by solid form at this course (a/e 1.33 from 119 runs), and the market has moved firmly behind him overnight. At this trip and class he looks the strongest of a workable top three, with the money supporting what the form already suggested.

Class 3 · 0m7f0y · Good · 11 ran

Not a bet. The horse we made most likely: Korsakov (13/2)

Won by: San Jose (IRE) at 15/8F · then Impasto (GB), Korsakov (GB)

What we said: William Haggas and Tom Marquand are named specifically as running ahead of the market together (6/10, +25pts), and this partnership has been backed hard overnight (-25%) from a good draw at a track where Haggas is a leading trainer. A well-regarded debutant from a top yard with market support behind it ticks the boxes for a maiden where hard form is scarce.

Class 2 · 0m7f213y · Good · 11 ran

Our bet: Claudette (9/4)

Won by: Clarity (IRE) at 3/1 · then Divide And Conquer (IRE), Kaguyahime (IRE)

What we said: Sent off favourite for good reason: a Baaeed filly from the Gosden yard with Buick booked, carrying the strongest fair-price rating in the field and a T+J combo running at 26% together. First-time out but bred and drilled for it, and the emphatic form-figure profile of this yard/jockey pairing gives the strongest single case in a field of largely unexposed maidens.

Class 2 · 0m6f0y · Good · 7 ran

We passed. Likely winner: Pure Mint (5/6)

Won by: Nobelos (IRE) at 33/1 · then Brushstroke (GB)

What we said: Pure Mint looks the one to beat off a debut win and a strong yard/jockey combination, but at Evs the price already reflects that talent with nothing today — no draw edge, no pace angle, only a middling course trainer stat — to push my own number above the market's; the rest of the field (Soldier Of The Sea, Does Mary Know) are similarly priced close to what they're worth.

Class 3 · 0m7f0y · Good · 8 ran

We passed. Likely winner: Aalto (5/2)

Won by: Malachy's Wish (GB) at 7/1 · then Suspicious Mindz (GB), Aalto (FR)

What we said: too many in-form runners crowd the top of the market here: Aalto boasts the best figures and a 2-1-3 finishing sequence, but Jonny Concrete arrives on a two-timer, Suspicious Mindz is also on a two-timer, and Malachy's Wish and Debrief both won last time out — five runners with a genuine claim on recent form is exactly the kind of handicap that equalises rather than clarifies. Nothing at today's prices separates them cleanly enough to make a stand.

Class 2 · 1m0f0y · Good · 13 ran

Not a bet. The horse we made most likely: Arctic Thunder (15/2)

Won by: Hickory (IRE) at 15/2 · then Moonfall (IRE), Zennor Storm (GB)

What we said: Two wins on the bounce is the standout form angle in this blanket-finish handicap, and a 3lb claim plus solid course figures (13% strike, a/e 1.21) back up a jockey who's already delivering. At a fair operating weight of 9-6 off a rising mark, the profile of a horse still ahead of the handicapper reads better than the others clustered around the same price bracket.

Class 4 · 0m7f0y · Good · 9 ran

Our bet: Hambelton (10/3)

Won by: First Legion (IRE) at 5/1 · then Raging Raj (IRE), Golden Brown (IRE)

What we said: Form reads 455121, two wins from the last three starts with the pattern clearly improving, and the return coming at 41 days keeps it in the clean window rather than the risky 60-119 day band. The course figures back it up too, a solid strike rate there, and the price matches a fair reading of a genuinely progressive third-season type stepping into this grade at the right time.