Antepost Racing Tips: V for victory and Victtorino in Saturday Ascot feature

• Three-peat on for Victorrino at Ascot this weekend

• Tommy Whittle claims to suit selection more than Welsh National?

• Alan Dudman delivers his latest antepost thoughts on Haydock and Ascot 

Ascot 15:00 - Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase: Back Victtorino @ 5/16.00

Three days of rain forecast for Ascot is not of utmost importance for the chances of last year's Howden Silver Cup winner Victtorino - who at this early stage at 5s is the nominated winner.

Although with last week's second again for Vincenzo in a big handicap chase, I wouldn't be surprised to be beaten to the finish.

With the ground currently displayed as "good" at Ascot in a rather weird weather vortex we're living through at the moment, Victtorino is probably one of the very few Venetia runners who doesn't need a swamp. He won this 12 months ago on good to soft and then backed up with a win again at Ascot on good soon after.

December promises to be warming up for the trainer following a quiet November and she's had four winners this month.

Victtorino has been seen just once thus far in the campaign and a run that smacked of one very much needed in the Coral Gold Cup three weeks ago, a day the jumping beast failed to raise any sort of roar.

While no horse at a certain track is an imprimatur to print money, his Ascot record is as magnificent as a Venetia Williams jacket - he was won this race twice (both on good and good to soft) and had four victories from five visits here.

He is also back down to his last winning mark (in this) from 146 having been lowered 1lb from the assessor and he's in ballpark territory for a third win in the race. It will be interesting to see what happens with Ga Law and his top weight burden and whether he participates, while Blow Your Wad might have a little more to prove stepping out of novice company in his second season towards the head of the market.

Ascot 15:35 - Ascot Rotary Club Festive Handicap Hurdle: Back Alexei @ 3/14.00

I suppose you could say Alexei has "sailed" in with his last two wins and I wouldn't surprised if they have a dart at some graded races soon after with this most likeable hurdler.

Alexei was an antepost selection ahead of Ascot in November- you might recall in the Lavazza Handicap Hurdle - and he travelled with ease, jumped well and won as he liked from 127 and must have been a good thing then off that mark.

He's now rated 147 and earns top weight stripes, but he deserves that as his win in the Greatwood at Cheltenham by six lengths from 134 was easy as picking apricots from a French orchard, and after that, the Champion Hurdle wouldn't be as remote an idea as it looked in the autumn.

Joe Tizzard has enjoyed a super run of form too and he's 5-27 at 19% in the last two weeks, and has fired in 19 hurdlers to win at a strike-rate of 25% this term.

The ground shouldn't worry Tizzard either, as his win over CD was on good and he ran well on good at Chepstow on reappearance.

Haydock 14:05 - Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase: Back O'Toole @ 8/19.00

With half the field rated below 120 (eight at the Tuesday stage) it's fair to assume there isn't a Suny Bay lurking, but one hopes these are the sort of races that can fire the imagination again for jumps' fans and racegoers.

The one who stands out from an unexposed angle is certainly Stuart Crawford's O'Toole.

I couldn't find the link in the breeding to the legendary Peter O'Toole, who perhaps he might be named after, perhaps not, but it gives me chance of regaling the tale of sharing a cricket field with the Lawrence Of Arabia star. He was president of Brondesbury Cricket Club, who boast Saurav Ganguly and Mike Gatting as former players, and my school always managed to blag a game with 'Bron in our cricket season.

Peter O'Toole fielded at slip, wore a cravat and smoked openly on the field. While I batted, as a 14-year-old, had no idea who he was. Hopefully we got to know who the equine version is on Saturday.

With just three starts O'Toole is fragile it appears and hasn't stood a whole lot of racing. Since his second in the Grade 2 Towton at Wetherby in 2023, he's been seen just once, and I reckon Crawford might have come away fairly pleased with his second at Cork on return last month.

Cork can be sharp, and the 2m5f was a step down in distance after winning over 3m at Ayr, and considering he holds an entry in the Welsh Grand National too (seven days after Haydock) that distance in County Mallow was nowhere near suitable.

The entry for Chepstow puts a different slant on things but this will be a whole lot easier and two days of wet weather this week should throw up some soft going, as it suits with two victories in heavy in his light career.

He's an 8/19.00 poke and I doubt he'll be that price if he takes up the engagement rather than the Welsh Nash.

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