Horse racing tips: Three picks for today at Ascot

Today’s Ascot betting tips:

• King Eagle, 2.25pm at Ascot - 5/4 with BetGoodwin
• Snuggle EW, 3pm at Ascot - 9/2 with Bet365
• Holy Fire, 4.45pm at Ascot - 13/2 with Bet365

There are six races on the card at Ascot on Friday, with the John Guest Racing Brown Jack Handicap taking place at 2.25pm. Seven runners go to post for this two-mile encounter and it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that King Eagle will take all the beating.

This Nicky Henderson-trained charge has enjoyed consecutive victories, obliging at Bath when winning a handicap over one mile, three-and-a-half furlongs. 

The horse then stepped up in class and distance to secure the spoils in the Winners Wear House Of Cavani Handicap at Newmarket a month ago.

The four-year-old was able to win by a neck on that occasion and appears to have benefitted from the wind surgery at the back end of last year. 

Malakahna is potentially the main danger here, the five-year-old having achieved back-to-back runner-up finishes at Chester and York.

However, the Ian Williams-trained runner hasn’t won any of the past seven outings, with Pledgeofallegiance also overlooked on account of a poor showing at Haydock in the Bet365 Handicap on 8 July. 

Tamilla is the other threat in the race and the four-year-old returns to Ascot after previously finishing fourth in an eight-runner fillies’ handicap, with William Haggas hoping she can return to the winning form shown last season when obliging at Ffos Las and Kempton.

This race is followed by the Chapel Down Handicap at 3pm, with 10 runners lining up in a Class 4 encounter which looks to be a wide open heat according to betting sites.

All the horses in the field have been seen frequently this season, with favourite Mobashr running just nine days ago.

Michael Appleby’s entry finished third out of 12 in a seven-furlong handicap at Yarmouth on 19 July, with Jason Watson riding the horse to second at Doncaster on 13 July after the same jockey had steered the charge to victory at the south Yorkshire course at the beginning of the month.

However, we’re confident that Snuggle can go well at a bigger price. The three-year-old has delivered a spate of promising performances this summer, with the horse recently finishing third out of six horses in the Charnock Richard Handicap at Haydock Park. 

Although this was somewhat underwhelming considering his status as the 9/4 favourite, the heavy going wasn’t particularly suitable and there was much more to like about his second place in the Country and Town House Handicap at Newbury on 6 July, where he finished second despite the jockey dropping the rein.

Snuggle has demonstrated he can win when obliging at Windsor in a Novice Stakes back in May, with the latest racecard odds representing an attractive each-way option. 

Trainer Ed Walker tends to be fairly prolific at Ascot and his runner gets 7lb on the weight-for-age, with jockey Tom Marquand sure to give him a decent spin.

Another three-year-old that catches the eye is Holy Fire and this filly runs in the Berenberg October Club Supporting Schoolreaders Fillies' Handicap. 

Charlie Fellowes saddles a horse that has every chance of hitting the frame based on previous exploits, with the runner having been in the first two in all four of her races this season.

Callum Shepherd rode her to a victory in a six-furlong novice stakes at Kempton on the all-weather, with the filly more recently running at Chelmsford on the all-weather and putting in a decent showing when finishing runner-up to favourite Azure Angel. 

That defeat was only by a head and Shepherd might give her a different sort of run after she ran keenly in the early stages of that encounter before being dropped back ahead of a late charge to the line. At the current prices, she looks to be the value pick.

Cuban Breeze is likely to go off favourite and the five-year-old was second in the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies' Handicap at Newmarket recently, finishing runner-up to favourite Star Guest.

However, it should be noted that the horse also ran behind Holy Fire at Chelmsford, so we’re surprised at the difference in odds between the pair.