Saturday ITV Racing Tips: James Mackie fancies four from Ascot on Betfair's sponsored card

• James Mackie has a fantastic four picks from Ascot on Saturday

• Mondoui'boy the Nap in the opener

• Montregard the next best in the Betfair Swinley Handicap Chase

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13:15, Ascot - Back Mondoui'boy @ 6/42.50

In the opening contest at Ascot on Saturday the favourite Mondoui'boy for trainer Ben Pauling could take all the beating as I expect plenty of progression to come from him.

Thought of highly when with Harry Derham last year running two solid taces in bumpers, he has since been bought out of the David Maxwell dispersal sale for £115,000 and given to Ben Pauling.

Back in March 2024 he was seen finishing a narrow second to the talented Shuffle The Deck in his only PTP run with the winner being bought by JP McManus and rated 140 over hurdles.

Seen in two bumpers last season with David Maxwell on board for both races, he was a narrow second behind the talented Crackerjacque at Sandown who has since won twice over hurdles this season. Back in third that day was the even more talented Hurricane Pat for Gary Moore who is rated 136 over hurdles.

Sent to the Punchestown festival for his final bumper run of last season he was a solid sixth of 22 finishing behind some smart types including King Rasko Grey for Willie Mullins.

He has had only one start over hurdles this term for Ben Pauling when winning fairly comfortably last month at Ludlow over 2m5f.

The gelding should improve marketdly for that success, has form in softer conditions, and I just think he will turn out to best of these rivals on the day and in his career with the potential he has.

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14:25, Ascot - Back Lightningupourdays E/W 4 places @ 5/16.00

The Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle sees a good field of 15 horses head to post and with the competitive nature of the race I am dutching two horses each-way using the extra place on the Sportsbook.

The first of my two selections is the Alastair Ralph trained Lightningupourdays who is a lightly raced seven-year-old that has been well backed over the last 48 hours.

Making his hurdles debut back in 2024 when a good second .to the highly talented Wendigo over 2m5f at Ludlow, he then got off the mark at Uttoxeter when dropped to 2m and being dominant at the finish.

Having one more run last season in January at Newbury off a 5lb higher mark of 117 for his previous win, he showed that 2m was not his ideal trip being outpaced, but still ran a nice race into third.

Seen for the first time this season back up in trip to today's distance, off the same mark of 117 he ran a huge race to finish third behind some talented rivals.

The winner Came From Nowhere won off 117 and has since won a valueable handicap in good fashion at Ascot and is now rated 132. The second Good To Be Alive has since franked the form at Plumpton and is now rated 130.

Lightningupourdays races off just 2lbs higher off a mark of 119 and with the form of that Hereford run working out and the gelding sure to improve for that first run back, I would be disappointed to not see him return home in the first four.

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14:25, Ascot - Back Act Of Authority E/W 4 places @ 13/27.50

At a slightly bigger price and higher in the weights is the talented Act Of Authority for trainer Olly Murphy, who like my previous selection looks to have a big chance of finishing in the first four.

The gelding first sparked my attention when rattling home into second at the Cheltenham Festival last year in the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle behind the Grade 1 mare Woodhoh for Gordon Elliott.

Racing off a mark of 134 that day, he was upped to 139 for another competitive handicap hurdle at the Grand National meeting when upped to 3m 1/2f and the extra distance caught him out.

On his first outing this season off the same mark he was tried over the same trip at Newbury in a Pertemps qualifier where he did what he needed to do and finished a fair fourth behind the Irish and Welsh Grand National heroine Haiti Couleurs.

Dropped to his preferred 2m4f at Aintree in December he finished a fair third off 1lb lower, giving up his chance of winning the race at the second last hurdle.

Dropped a further 1lb for his latest run at Windsor when not handling the track, he did supremely well to plug on into fourth, not finishing far behind the leaders.

He acts on soft ground, has shown consistentcy in hitting the frame in almost all of his recent runs, and I still think 137 might just be a workable mark for him.

He is only 3lbs higher than his career best effort at the Cheltenham Festival and now with a few runs under his belt this season, could today be the day where he produces again.

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15:00, Ascot - Back Montregard @ 3/14.00

The final selection from Ascot on Saturday comes in the competitive Betfair Swinley Handicap Chase and the well backed Montregard for Tom Lacey and owner JP McManus has a huge chance of going one better than last time out.

The gelding has been rejuvenated this season since wearing the visor, winning off a mark of 110 at Worcester in May ahead of the talented Holokea for Mickey Bowen.

Off 6lbs higher over today's course and distance he made it back to back wins in November, winning comfortably after the last.

His only blip this season came at Kempton when pulled up in a Class 3 Handicap, but to me it just did not look to be a going day for him and I am happy to forgive him one bad run.

He bounced back to form in a big way when last seen at Ascot over C&D off the same mark of 122, narrowly finising behind the talented The Jukebox Kid for Ben Pauling.

That winner runs earlier on in the card in the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Chase and is currently the 8/131.61 favourite to land the contest, now rated 137.

Montregard was upped 6lbs for that effort and is 3lbs out of the handicap today. However, he shows he handles soft ground from his run last time out and he obviously acts at Ascot having figures of first and second this season.

He holds big claims again off what could still be a workable mark off 128!

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