Punting pointers and trainers' views for the International Handicap

3.00 Ascot
Gigaset International Heritage Handicap | 7f | 3yo+ | ITV/RUK

BETTING ANGLES

1. Fastnet Tempest has been very popular in the ante-post market leading up to the race and looks certain to be sent off one of the leading fancies as he will have the assistance of Ryan Moore and is sporting blinkers for the first time.

He would certainly have been involved in the finish on his last outing at the royal meeting but for a troubled passage and connections will be hoping he can gain some compensation.

2. When attempting to fathom out this fiercely competitive and very open handicap it usually pays to avoid three-year-olds as that age group has not been successful in the past ten seasons.

Four year olds are seemingly the age group to focus on as they have come out on top on seven occasions, while the other three runnings have gone the way of five-year-olds or older.

3. The draw can prove a bone of contention on Ascot’s straight course, as was perfectly illustrated at the royal meeting last month. Horses drawn in double figures in this contest appear to have had something of an advantage over their lower-drawn rivals in recent years, and seven winners have come from higher numbers and only three from single-figure stalls.

Fastnet Tempest: won the Victoria Cup over a furlong shorter earlier in the seasonCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Those last ten winners, mind, include horses drawn 11 and 14 – so a very high-numbered stall is not essential to success.

What they say

David O’Meara, trainer of Firmament
He likes Ascot as he has run well there in the past, but he has got plenty of weight in an obviously very tight race, plus he would not want the ground to get much softer.

Roger Charlton, trainer of Yuften and Makzeem
Yuften was drawn on the far side in the Royal Hunt Cup and saw too much daylight so we've put a line through that run. The ground and trip should suit and he seems very well. Makzeem is theoretically well in as he's due to go up 7lb in future races. The ground will not be against him but I'm not so sure about being drawn in stall one.

John Gosden, trainer of Remarkable and Johnny Barnes
They both had a prep at Newbury last week and seem to have taken that in their stride so we're happy to go again. The ground and trip should be fine for both.

Kevin Ryan, trainer of Flaming Spear, Big Time and Mount Tahan
Flaming Spear hasn't run for a while as we gave him a break, but he's in good heart and likes a bit of cut in the ground, so conditions should be ideal. Big Time has been a bit disappointing on his last two starts and we're hoping the step back up to seven furlongs will help. Mount Tahan is entitled to take his chance in a very open race and he's well in himself.

Yuften: won the Balmoral Handicap at Ascot last seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker

Andrew Balding, trainer of Viscount Barfield
He's potentially well in as this was an early closing race and the handicapper has since raised him but he races off a 10lb lower mark. It will be very different conditions to those he won on last time and he wouldn't want too much overnight rain as it could well inconvenience his chance.

Ian Williams, trainer of Shady McCoy
He has struggled with his mark a bit this season and been a shade disappointing since running so well in the Victoria Cup back in May, when very unlucky as he hit a few traffic problems at a critical point in the race. The ground should be fine as long as they do not get too much rain and it gets very soft.