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Two picks for James Mackie from Ascot on Saturday
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Up The Pace can keep good run of form going
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Urban Lion the best bet on the ITV card
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15:20 Ascot - Back Up The Pace @ 9/25.50
The first selection of the afternoon on Shergar Cup day comes in the 15:20 Shergar Cup Sprint. Up The Pace should love this stiff 6f.
This season the three-year-old looks to have turned into a different animal having started his camapign off over course and distance when landing a Class 4, 16 runner Handicap off a mark of 76.
Upped 5lb for that win he stepped up to 7f at Doncaster on slightly easier ground but was still way ahead of the handicapper when making it two from two for the season.
Given a tougher assignment on his last start in Class 3 company at Newmarket he finished a narrow second to Leadman off a mark of 85.
That race looks to be a strong one with Two Tribes twice a winner since in big fielded handicaps, including the Stewards Cup at Glorious Goodwood, Sterling Knight back in fourth a subsequent winner and sixth-place Hickory a good third at Ascot in a competitive mile handicap.
Up a further 5lb, although this is a class 2 it looks an easier race than his last contest and if staying on the upward curve, drawn handily in stall seven, he should give another good account of himself.
Back Up The Pace in the 15:20 Ascot
16:30 Ascot - Back Urban Lion @ 7/24.50
The best bet of the day comes in the lucky last at Ascot on Saturday with the Jack Channon trained Urban Lion having plenty in his favour in the Shergar Cup Mile.
Starting off this year at Chelmsford off a mark of 84 he readily landed a handicap over a mile. Sent into deeper waters next time out at Newbury in the Old Spring Cup, he finished a neck second to progressive Ebt's Guard who has rarely run a bad race this season.
Urban Lion has been very progressive this term as he got back to winning ways at Sandown two starts ago, seeing off the talented Classic for Richard Hannon who then went on to land the Coral Challenge Handicap over the same C&D.
Last seen at Royal Ascot over a mile on the straight track in the Royal Hunt Cup, he ran an absolute cracker to finish fifth of 30 behind the winner My Cloud (group horse in a handicap).
He was drawn on the wrong side of the track so the performance can be upgraded, but the form of that race has worked out well. The second, Bullet Point, has since ran well in a competitive handicap at Ascot, Greek Order was a solid fourth of 15 in the Golden Mile at Glorious Goodwood and the fast improving Fox Legacy, who was back in sixth, has won back to back races at York and Goodwood in highly competitive handicaps.
The only negative for the four-year-old on Saturday is that he is drawn in stall one. However, if able to overcome that he has only been nudged up 1lb for that Royal Hunt Cup fifth and that is by far the best form on offer in this race.
Back Urban Lion in the 16:30 Ascot