Racing tips: David Maxwell has the purr-fect horse for the Ascot fences

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It was a shame to see Market Rasen be abandoned halfway through their meeting due to a waterlogged track. East Street was gambled into around 5/2 so connections were clearly thinking he was about to run a big run. Darasso was outclassed in Ireland, it was a gamble taking on the Mullins horses but I felt they might've lacked the fitness, which clearly wasn't the case and they were 1st and 2nd in a close finish.

I mentioned this on my Twitter after the news of the Market Rasen card being abandoned. I find it strange how we constantly get meetings abandoned in Britain. In the last couple of weeks, we've had meetings called off due to fast ground and a waterlogged track. How can this be happening, I understand the weather can be extreme but if the track is quick, why wouldn't you water? and for the waterlogged track, I feel like ground conditions are much worse in Ireland and they rarely ever have meetings called off, if any. Let me know your opinion on this. Maybe I'm being harsh on Market Rasen, but surely better drainage is needed for these tracks.

Ascot 12:55

As five-runner Class 3 races go this is a belting race with arguably every horse turning up having a very good chance of winning. However, only one can win (ignoring a potential dead-heat) and I believe that is SOLO.

At first I felt that Thunder Rock is the one to be on, but off his current mark of 142, I think that could be a difficult task. He made a good impression on chase debut at Uttoxeter and I can see why people will want to back him on the back of that run. The form is working out quite nicely with the runner-up winning, albeit a weak race, and the 5th horse has won over hurdles. I don't think the form will be as strong as Solo's, but I think he is arguably the main danger.

Solo has been a strange horse. When he first made an appearance in the UK for Paul Nicholls a lot of people hyped him up as he won a Grade 2 at Kempton with a lot of authority. It didn't quite work out in the Grade 1 at Cheltenham and then he was underwhelming the following season. However, since switching to fences he has started to get his mojo back. He hit the crossbar a couple of times and then was chucked into some competitive races, so to see him not perform can be ignored. He bounced back at Sandown in a Class 3 when making all, jumping like a stag and winning with plenty of authority. Though the face of that form might be sketchy, I really do believe the horse who finished runner-up (Git Maker) could be a nice horse to follow this season, especially when tackling 3m, so the fact Solo dispatched of him with no problem at all, giving away 11lbs to him rates as a good performance.

I don't think this will be an easy race for Solo, and he'll have to answer some questions off a mark of 142 (carrying a 7lb penalty), but based on that recent run there's no reason why he can't progress further under the best in form team of Nicholls/Cobden.

Ascot 2:40

Studying this race and going through each individual runner made me think that this isn't as strong as it might look. On paper, this probably looks like a bookies race where they'll be rubbing their hands together hoping people get stuck into it, but I am quietly confident that CAT TIGER is the one they all have to beat.

You have all but 2 horses arriving to Ascot without a recent run, so fitness will be a problem for a fair few of them, and that could be the case for Cat Tiger, whose fitness will have to be taken on trust. However, he has won 3x when running off an absence before, as well as 2x runner-ups, which bodes well that it's best to catch him fresh. As I eluded to before, with Paul Nicholls' yard flying like they are, I feel like all of their horses are arriving to the track in very good condition and you won't have to worry about their fitness as much as you would normally.

You also have horses in this who are probably on tough handicap marks or have sketchy jumping. I feel like both of these aren't true with Cat Tiger. He won off 136 last season at this track over today's distance, which is 3lb lower than today's mark, but he has won off 142 in the past (albeit Hunter's Chase)  and has finished second at the Aintree Grand National meeting off a mark of 140. He'll love the ground, and jump for fun and with the recent wind surgery being made over the summer break, that should help see his race out even better.

Mr David Maxwell does the steering, and he does tend to get a lot of flack on social media. He's not a professional, but he is a top amateur jockey who loves riding the horses which he owns. He still claims 3lbs which is a bonus and he always manages to get a good tune out of Cat Tiger. I'm not sure why I have this much confidence in this horse but I get the feeling today is his race.

Considering Cat Tiger normally jumps so well, shown by his ability to jump the National fences, he should be perfect for these tough fences at Ascot.

One horse to note who is on a ridiculously low handicap mark is Copperhead. This horse was one of the fancies for the RSA Chase at Cheltenham back in 2020 after landing a big race win at Ascot in a Grade 2. For some reason, his form tailed off drastically, but if he bounces back to form then he is a real danger. The problem is the yard form who can't seem to get a winner of late (1/31 last 14 days) and that's a big issue considering the horse's previous form and lack of a recent run (300+ days).

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