'The horse who beat him has since run well - I'd like to think he'll go nicely'

Friday: 2.05 Ascot
Events At Ascot Handicap Chase | 2m5f | 4yo+ | Sky

Dual Listed Badger Ales Chase winner Present Man (2016), former Grade 1 Manifesto Novices' Chase scorer Flying Angel (2019) and the improving Espoir De Guye (2020) have recently won this race, but this year's event has seemingly failed to attract the same level of talent.

If the 142-rated Red Risk and Yes Indeed are taken out of the equation, this race is merely a below-par 0-135 handicap, and the fact that both of the aforementioned runners race off inflated French marks indicates that might be the case anyway.

Red Risk may well set the standard on his 11-length romp at Ludlow in February 2020, but he's winless in four subsequent outings and jumped poorly when beaten 53 lengths in this race last year. Unlike most Paul Nicholls-trained chasers, fluency over his fences is a real concern.

He finished three-quarters of a length behind the reopposing Guy on his seasonal reappearance at Market Rasen and it's difficult to envisage a reversal of form.

Guy travelled powerfully throughout that 2m5½f race before flattening out late on and he rates the horse to beat with improvement expected.

The Harry Skelton-trained Flegmatik and consistent Smarty Wild are two more chasers whose performances are littered with jumping mistakes. However, the latter would be of serious interest at this track if he put in a clear round.
Race analysis by Tom Collins

What they say

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Red Risk
He ran very well on his first run back at Market Rasen. If he'd jumped the last quick he might have gone very close. The horse who won [Senior Citizen] has since run well at Aintree and I'd like to think he'll go nicely. He likes good ground and when he ran in the race last season the ground was far too testing for him. The more it dries, the better for him.

Philip Hobbs, trainer of Smarty Wild
It's only a couple of weeks since his last run but he's come out of it very well. He's run nicely at Ascot before, although a bit further might suit him a bit better. We hope he's got a decent chance.

Venetia Williams, trainer of Pink Legend
She's out of mares' company now, which is what most of her races were last season. Hopefully, she goes there with a chance but, like all my horses, we hope for rain, but there's none on the horizon at all. She'll go on it but we're always cautious. She's gone well fresh in the past and the form of her first run last season at Bangor has worked out well – at the same time that horse [Stolen Silver] has improved.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Guy
He likes that sort of ground and he ran nicely on his first run of the season at Market Rasen. The race looks like it should really suit him. The track should be fine for him.
Reporting by James Stevens

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