Horse Racing Betting Tips Today

Will Smith Tips

Ebt's Guard

2.40 Ascot

* EW 5 places 1/5

16/1

Lucky 15

View Tips

15/8

Djelo

King George VI Chase - Kempton Park - 26 Dec 2025

Ante-Post

View Tips

33/1

Very similar conditions to yesterday look to be prevailing at Ascot today, with fast ground and a tailwind. This scenario meant that several horses who raced prominently down the centre of the track seemed to be seen to best effect.

Today’s Schweppes Victoria Cup at 2.40 at Ascot is not quite the biggest or most competitive field assembled for this race, and there are a few horses who might make the pace in very high numbers.

Whether this means that the stands side is the place to be or not remains to be seen, as the jockeys seemed to shun that strip yesterday, and despite all the field gravitating there in this race last year, anything that raced closest to the rail was actually unsighted in the finish.

One horse who is seen to good effect when racing prominently is Ebt’s Guard, and despite most of his career being spent in races over 1m, he is often the last off the bridle and shapes to me as if the drop to 7f at this track will really suit.

He is a winner at the track last season, is ground versatile, improved throughout last season, and on the evidence of his reappearance win a deep renewal of the Spring Cup at Newbury a month ago, a gelding operation and another winter on his back has improved him again.

Of those horses that raced wide in that unusual round course 1m race at Newbury and thus came widest towards the stands side that day, Ebt’s Guard was much the smoothest traveller and looked set to win by further but ended up lasting home, giving further suggestion that 7f will be his optimum.

Two other horses who charted a similar path to Ebt’s Guard, but were at least 3 lengths further back at Newbury, were yesterday’s facile Chester winner Two Tempting and Arisaig, who was mightily unlucky to be locked away in a Listed race at Goodwood subsequently, having been backed from an opening 16/1 all the way into 4/1 that day. Her compensation could await in the race before the Victoria Cup at Ascot today.

At 16/1 each-way with Bet365 for 5 places, I’m genuinely struggling to see why Ebt’s Guard isn’t at least in single figures, and maybe even should be close to vying for favouritism today. Make him your 1-star * Daily Value play for WhichBookie on a busy Saturday.

David Young Tips

Fox Avatar

1.50 Lingfield

Win

9/4

Popmaster

2.40 Ascot

EW 5 Places 1/5

16/1

English Oak

2.40 Ascot

Win

12/1

Turquino

3.15 Ascot

Win

2/1

1.50 Lingfield – Handicap – 1m2f

This wouldn’t be the type of contest to hold great confidence, but FOX AVATAR looked desperate need of his comeback run last month when sporting the first-time hood which is left off here.

His final run last season came on soft ground which he didn’t appear to enjoy at all and he was keen and green on his debut on good to firm but still an eye-catcher, who then won next time out.

For a horse who already looks to be in need of his first run of the season and having two of his 4 runs so far being under in the bracket, a chance looks worth taking with FOX AVATAR who should find himself beyond 0-80 company before long.

FOX AVATAR – 1 STAR WIN @ 9/4

2.40 Ascot – Handicap – 7f

Ed Walker has his horses in good order with 7 winners already this month from 18 runners. While most of those winners were well found in the market he did score a listed success with a double-figure priced runner on Tuesday. I think both ENGLISH OAK and POPMASTER have cases that can be made for them.

POPMASTER was eye-catching in the finish the last twice and he’s twice a 6f winner at this track and two times a narrow second here over 7 furlongs. He’s twice run in this race but 12 months ago behind The Wizard Of Eye under Brandon Wilkie claiming 5lbs he was only beaten 2 and a bit lengths off a mark of 109 so effectively 104. Down to 98 now and has Jack Doughty’s 3lb claiming bring him down to around a 9lbs lower mark.

He’s recorded an RPR of 103 to 109 in 6 of his last seven starts and he’s been kept on the go through the winter and looked to be in great form. Now those figures and form are on the All-weather but I’ve touched on his Ascot record but also on Good To Firm he’s raced 8 times producing 1 win, 4 seconds and a 3^rd which those places were all beaten inside a length. His two runs on Good To Firm at this trip came off 106 here when a neck second to Quinault and then when 2 lengths behind Tiber Flow in the Group 2 Hungerford stakes where he had English Oak 3 lengths behind him and is now 8lbs better off with his stable mate.

While ENGLISH OAK is also drawn low and weighted with an impossible task of reversing the Hungerford form he was incredibly impressive at this track when taking the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last season and William Buick being booked looks a sign of intent and you can draw a line through his comeback run where he was never able to get into the race. There’s a chance this is a stepping stone to Royal Ascot again, but on this quick ground, at a track he’s already tasted big race success at, I think he worth a small win dart in the race too.

POPMASTER – 0.5 STAR EW @ 16/1 (5 Places 1/5)

ENGLISH OAK – 0.5 STAR WIN @ 12/1

3.15 Ascot – Handicap – 1m4f

TURQUINO has had just the two starts and while the winning distance alongside his short price last time might look a bit weak, he and the runner up pulled well clear. I think Callum Hutchinson was trying to hold onto as much horse as he could, but he was well on top in the finish. He was also giving 7lbs to the runner up who had clearly improved from being gelded and was beaten a short head next time out in a handicap but has been raised 3lbs now to a mark of 80. Given TURQUINO is so lightly raced but we know he’s at least capable of his opening mark, I think he’s the one that’s most likely to win this with Oisin Murphy booked to ride and plenty of his rivals are exposed in this field.

TURQUINO – 2 STAR WIN @ 2/1