Ascot race-by-race preview & best bets | Saturday, November 13
| What | Ascot Races |
| Where | Ascot Racecourse – 71 Grandstand Rd, Ascot WA 6104 |
| When | Saturday, November 13, 2021 |
| First Race | 12:28pm AWST |
| Feature Race | Colonel Reeves Stakes (Race 8) |
| Watch Live | |
Group racing heads to Perth this Saturday for a nine-race program at Ascot, headlined by the Colonel Reeves Stakes, R.J. Peters Stakes and WA Champion Fillies Stakes. HorseBetting’s West Australian racing analyst brings you his race-by-race guide to the meeting as well as his best bets and quaddie numbers. The track is currently rated a Good 4 and the rail is in the true position for the entire course, which should make for perfect racing conditions. The first race of the day is scheduled to jump 12:28pm AWST.
Race 1: One Metro Win Handicap (1200m)
In the opening race of the afternoon, Todd Harvey and Chris Parnham combine with promising four-year-old gelding Nowhiteflag. This grey son of Maschino has had four starts for two wins and a second, including a dominant all-the-way win over the Ascot 1200m when first-up on October 30. Drawn in barrier three, Parnham will take this gelding forward once again and look to remain unbeaten at Ascot. The favourite looks incredibly hard to beat in the opener.
Selections: 4-3-9-2
Race 2: No Metro Wins Handicap (1400m)
The Parnham brothers can go back-to-back early on in the card when Chris’ brother Brad partners Stephen Miller’s four-year-old Holy Enchantment in the second race of the afternoon. The son of Playing God has finished in the top three in six of his nine career starts, with one of those placings coming at his last start in March when second to Western Empire in a Listed race. That horse is the hot favourite for next Saturday’s Group 1 Railway Stakes, so you would like to think the form around him should stack up. He gets every chance from barrier two.
Selections: 2-1-5-4
Race 3: Rating 72+ (1200m)
One of the more competitive races of the day will be run and won in the third as Wilchino looks to make it six-straight wins, Triple Missile aims to make it five wins from seven starts and Secret Plan tries to grab his fourth win at start 10. There is plenty of quality in this, but the way that Triple Missile resumed on October 16 suggested he is in for a big campaign. The four-year-old was narrowly beaten by Wilchino last time out, but he got a mile back and stormed home, so he should relish the extra furlong on Saturday. Mitch Pateman will have the son of Smart Missile out the back early from barrier eight, but we suspect he will be too good late.
Selections: 7-3-2-8
Race 4: Rating 66+ (1400m)
We tipped brothers Chris and Brad to ride the first two winners, so it would only be fair to let their father in on the action as well. Neville Parnham saddles up Blinder in the fourth, and while he does have to lug 60kg, he does have the ability to win this race. The six-year-old son of Snitzel was a winner at Caulfield just three starts ago, defeating Pesto by half-a-length over 1400m. This gelding has won two of his five first-up races and has also had the benefit of two trials which should have him humming along nicely for his fresh run. The $23 looks overs.
Selections: 1-9-7-4
Race 5: Group 3 R.J. Peters Stakes (1500m)
The first of three Group 3 races across the program is the R.J. Peters Stakes over 1500m. It is a high quality field, so much so that this year’s Perth Cup winner, Neufbosc, is a $71 outsider. Kissonallforcheeks would have been a deserving top-elect if she showed a bit more last time out when a beaten favourite, so we are siding with Kaptain Kaos, who comes off a win in the Northam Cup on October 24 over 1600m. The Michael Grantham-trained four-year-old has won seven of his 12 starts and looks well placed here with 56.5kg on his back. Chris Parnham does the riding from gate seven, which is a big advantage as he knows the horse very well. He does meet the race favourite 2.5kg worse off than from when they last met two starts ago, which is the only knock.
Selections: 3-6-7-1
Race 6: Listed Ascot Gold Cup (1800m)
Stayers get their chance in the first leg of the quaddie in the Ascot Gold Cup over 1800m. You can’t keep a good man down for too long, and while we are probably stupid for not tipping William Pike to win one sooner than race six, we are happy to be with him here when he rides Midnight Blue for Grant & Alana Williams in the famous cerise and white. This son of So You Think finished third in the Perth Cup at the beginning of the year and returned with a good fourth at this track and trip on October 30 where he was entitled to peak on his run late given that he was first-up at 1800m. That run would have done him the world of good, and we expect him to win now second-up.
Selections: 8-9-13-14
Race 7: Group 3 WA Champion Fillies Stakes (1600m)
Another of the Group 3 races is the WA Champion Fillies Stakes for three-year-old fillies as they progress towards the WA Oaks. Buzzoom has never been out of the placings in nine career starts, winning four of those, including each of her past three starts. This Daniel Morton-trained filly was a Listed winner last time out in similar company in the Burgess Queen Stakes, sprouting wings late to win by 1.5 lengths. Again, Chris Parnham is in the saddle, and barrier five will allow this daughter of Safeguard to settle closer in the run and let down with her scintillating turn of foot. She is the clear top seed.
Selections: 3-2-1-7
Race 8: Group 3 Colonel Reeves Stakes (1100m)
Chris Parnham can complete a clean sweep of the Group 3 races on Saturday when he partners the Adam Durrant-trained Stageman in the Colonel Reeves Stakes. The seven-year-old has had only 28 career starts, so he is relatively lightly raced, but he looks in for a big campaign after running third and second respectively in his first two runs. The son of Written Tycoon was beaten by Saturday’s race favourite, Elite Street, in both of those runs, but he meets the reigning Winterbottom Stakes winner 3kg better at the weight here and only needs to turn around a 1.5-length deficit. On top of that, this race is run over 1100m, which gives Stageman an extra 100m to get in front. He will get back from barrier nine, but we are very confident he can get the job done.
Selections: 7-1-2-5
Race 9: Rating 66+ (1000m)
In the last race of the afternoon, Adam Durrant saddles up two winning chances in This’ll Testya and The Front Bar. The latter is set to be steered by William Pike, so it is very hard to go past this last-start winner in the final race. The three-year-old filly sat closer than usual when first-up and it paid dividends as she kicked away to win by just under a length in a 3YO Plate at this track and trip. She drops 3kg down to the 54.5kg on Saturday, which will be a big help. Drawn wide in gate 11, Pike will likely take her back towards the tail of the field and really allow her to stretch out down the centre of the track. The daughter of Sessions is one from one at Ascot and is a three-time winner over 1000m, so she should be in her element.
Selections: 10-2-9-5
Saturday quaddie tips for Ascot
| Ascot quadrella selections | |
|---|---|
| Leg 1: | 4-8-9-13 |
| Leg 2: | 2-3 |
| Leg 3: | 1-7 |
| Leg 4: | 2-3-5-9-10 |
| Investment: | $80 for 100% |