Ascot Racing Tips 17 Oct 2026: Can Lucy Fiore Own Ascot?

Overview

Lucy Fiore and D L Morton have teamed up 28 times at Ascot for nine wins and 19 placings, and on Saturday that partnership sends out Wild Things, King Of Light and Monte Tremezzo. Two of those sit near the top of my order, and Fiore herself arrives as the leading rider on the card with 27 wins from 125 rides at the track.

That booking is the thread running through these Ascot racing tips, but it is far from the only story. Silent Diva has won three of the last six and banked more than $147,000 in the past three months, Roger and Angel Express both bring unbeaten records into a strong three-year-old plate, and the Swan Draught R.S. Crawford Stakes has five runners who won at their latest start.

The essentials: ten races on a Good turf track, the first at 12:01PM and the last at 5:39PM, running from 1000m out to 1800m. Snazzler and Miss Veuve are scratched from Race 6. Bookmaker markets had not opened when this was written, so there are no prices quoted below.

Ascot racing tips: reading Saturday’s card

For once there is real course form to work with. Audio Boy has run at Ascot six times and finished in the first three every time without a single win, which tells you exactly what sort of bet Audio Boy is. Horcrux has hit the frame three times from five visits, and London’s Image and Sir Dreamalot have both placed in all three of their Ascot starts.

The jockey picture is clear at the top. Fiore and Chris Parnham both land in the first three at close to 45% of their Ascot rides, and nobody else on the card comes near their strike rates. At the other end, Brayden Gaerth has yet to ride a winner here from 37 attempts, which matters in Race 4.

Among the trainers, Michael Grantham wins with a quarter of his Ascot runners and Mitchell Pateman is close behind. Morton brings seven runners and places with nearly half of his starters here. One caution: J N Pateman has six runners on the card, including Silent Diva, but is yet to train an Ascot winner from ten attempts.

Best Bookmakers for Today’s Racing

Race by race: Ascot predictions

Race 1: Tabtouch – Westspeed Platinum (Rs0ly), 12:01PM, 1600m

Sandfire Rose arrives on back-to-back wins; My Jimmy won last time too, but carries 130kg. That weight gap is the race. Sandfire Rose has two wins from five runs since mid-July, carries 122.3kg and jumps from barrier 3, so Chanel Cooper can take a sit just off the speed without being pushed.

My Jimmy is the more consistent of the two, with four placings from five recent runs and a win from three Ascot visits, and barrier 1 gives Joey Azzopardi the shortest way around. Giving away nearly 8kg to a rival in winning form is the problem. I’m Nipote is the each-way type, with two straight seconds, a placing at both course starts and Fiore in the saddle.

Win bet on Sandfire Rose, small saver on I’m Nipote for the place.

Race 2: Reliable Asset Maintenance (Bm72+), 12:36PM, 1600m

Silent Diva is the most reliable horse on the card. The four-year-old has won the last two, has three wins and five placings from six runs since July, and has collected more prize money in that stretch than anything else in the race. C Johnston-Porter rides at 126.7kg from barrier 6, which is a comfortable draw in a field of seven.

The one knock is the stable record here, with J N Pateman still chasing a first Ascot winner. I don’t think that outweighs the form of the horse. Exceltrain is the danger on consistency, three placings from four recent runs and second last start, while Arcadia Knight won two runs back before a seventh and comes from the Grantham yard that wins a quarter of its races here.

Back Silent Diva to win and use the horse as the anchor leg of any early multi.

Race 3: Glenroy Chaff (Rs1mw), 1:19PM, 1000m

Can a last-start winner who has already won here hold off a three-year-old getting a big weight break? That is the question in this sprint. Let’s Talk won at the latest start, has a win from two Ascot runs and drops in at 123.4kg from barrier 4.

Supersmash is the threat. Two wins in four runs since July, then a sixth, and Natika Riordan gets the bottom weight of 112.4kg from gate 2. If that sixth was a blip, the weight could carry Supersmash a long way over 1000m. Hezangelic has placed in four of the last six for the Mitchell Pateman stable and rounds out the trifecta picture.

Small win bet on Let’s Talk. This is not a race to load up on.

Race 4: Bisley Workwear Plate, 1:55PM, 1400m

D L Morton has given Chris Parnham the ride on Roger, and that booking says plenty. The three-year-old is unbeaten in two career starts, Parnham hits the frame at close to half his Ascot rides, and barrier 2 lets him find the fence early and save ground for the step to 1400m.

This is the deepest race of the early card. Angel Express is also two from two, but Brayden Gaerth’s Ascot record is the worry for anyone backing it. Treasured Legacy has two wins from three runs since July for Grantham, and Raw Umber has won both starts since a debut eighth. Flying In The Wind won on debut and gets in at 119kg with Fiore, 8.8kg less than Roger, which makes it the lightly raced runner to fear.

Marcos is the reliable one. Two wins and five placings across the last six starts, most recently a third, and Holly Watson draws barrier 3. The joint top weight and two unplaced Ascot runs make the win a stretch, but finishing in the first three is what this horse does.

Roger to win. Marcos each-way as a separate play, because the place part of that bet looks very safe in a field this even.

Race 5: C J Byfield 80th (Rs0ly), 2:39PM, 1200m

Fourteen runners over 1200m means a rush for position, and the horse I want is the one who has handled that every time lately. Cable Rock has placed in all four runs since July, two of them wins, and finished second last start. Barrier 9 is not ideal, but Holly Watson should be able to slot in behind the leaders at 122.3kg.

Mars Mission is the main danger. Two straight wins, seven runs since July, and only 119kg from barrier 4, so T Turner can sit handy and make the others come to him. Delzee has a win and two seconds in four career starts and is next best.

Each-way on Cable Rock, with Mars Mission included in any exotics.

Race 6: Happy 90th Birthday Brian Casey (Bm66+), 3:14PM, 1800m

Wild Things is my best bet of the day. The four-year-old has placed in all four runs since July, won two of them including the latest, and gets in at 120.1kg with Fiore and Morton combining. Barrier 10 is wide for 1800m, but in a field trimmed to nine by the scratchings of Snazzler and Miss Veuve, Fiore can drift back, find cover and still have a clear run turning for home.

The form has substance. Those four runs alternated between thirds and wins and were worth more than $57,000, so this is a horse building through a preparation rather than one that has had everything go right. The racecard line shows an eighth and a tenth-or-worse before that run started, so the improvement is recent and real.

The danger is Swift Ruler, a three-year-old with three wins and a second from the last four starts. Holly Nottle rides at only 117.9kg from barrier 4, and a young horse in that form with a weight break can beat older handicappers. I Love Ya Money won last start for Mitchell Pateman and has a win and three placings from four recent runs, so that is the other one I respect. I Dreamed A Dream also won last time, but has only one placing from two Ascot starts.

Win bet on Wild Things, with Swift Ruler as the saver.

Race 7: Pps Water Group (Rs1mw), 3:48PM, 1400m

Who beats Western Miss? Three wins in a row came before a third last start, and Chris Parnham has won three of his four rides at Ascot for Michael Grantham. Barrier 9 in a field of 13 needs some luck, but the class shown through that winning run should cover it at 126.7kg.

Audio Boy is the horse every place punter should know about. Six Ascot runs, six placings, no wins. Sixth last time, but placed in the five runs before that, and Chanel Cooper draws barrier 2 at 123.4kg. For a place bet, this is the one. Tahni Talk has placed at each of the last three starts but carries a mighty 135.5kg from the widest gate.

Win bet on Western Miss, separate place bet on Audio Boy.

Race 8: Swan Draught – R.S. Crawford Stakes, 4:25PM, 1200m

Five of these ten won at their latest start, and two more finished second. That makes the Crawford the most competitive race on the card, and the one where barrier and weight decide more than form alone.

Hot And High gets my vote. The four-year-old has won four of the five starts on the racecard form line, won on the only Ascot visit, and drew barrier 1. Chris Parnham can hold the fence from the jump and let the wider runners do the work, and at 122.3kg the horse carries the same weight as the main rivals. The D M Luciani stable wins with three of its 14 Ascot runners, a small sample but a sharp one.

Playin’it Sweet is the clear danger. Two straight wins, a win and a second from two Ascot runs, and Fiore draws barrier 2 right alongside, so these two should be close to each other the whole way. The Fiore and Durrant combination has two wins from 11 rides here, a weaker strike rate than the jockey manages for Morton.

Then come the course horses. London’s Image and Sir Dreamalot have each placed in all three Ascot starts, and Sir Dreamalot won last time. Cessation has a win and two placings from three runs here, ran second at the only start since July and earned $130,000 for it, so she has been racing against strong company. Tiarnna Noske places with more than half of the stable’s Ascot runners, and Jarrad Noske rides from barrier 6. On class, Cessation is the runner I think the betting will overlook.

Hot And High to win. Cessation each-way as the value play, and box both with Playin’it Sweet in a trifecta.

Race 9: Senturf – Eurythmic Stakes, 5:02PM, 1400m

Morton and Fiore team up again with King Of Light, and this is the stronger of their two main chances on the class line. The four-year-old won three in a row, had one unplaced run, then won first up from a spell, a start that earned $68,500. Barrier 10 is a little awkward at 128.9kg, but the horse has the turn of foot to come from off the pace.

Western Empire is the obvious threat. The nine-year-old has won the last three, and the J N Pateman stable has this one at the top of the weights with 131.1kg. J Lyon has won one of his four Ascot rides, too few to judge. Barrier 11 is the issue here as well, so the pair might end up racing near each other.

Let’s Galahvant won last time and draws barrier 2 for D & B Pearce, which makes it the inside runner with a chance. Forever Boy resumed with a third for Grantham and Chris Parnham and should be fitter second up.

Win bet on King Of Light. Western Empire is the saver.

Race 10: Happy 80th Birthday Bernie Ryan (Bm66+), 5:39PM, 1200m

Hurricane Harley is the in-form horse; Ourgirlcanrun is fresh off two wins with a weight break. Hurricane Harley has won two of three runs since July and placed in the other, won at the latest start and has a win from two Ascot runs. The catch is 131.1kg from barrier 11, and Austin Galati is still to ride an Ascot winner from 15 attempts.

Ourgirlcanrun carries 6.6kg less, has won the last two and won on the only Ascot visit. Holly Watson rides for Mitchell Pateman from barrier 12, so both of the main chances have to work from out wide. On balance I side with Hurricane Harley on the recent form, but this is close.

Horcrux is the course each-way, three placings from five Ascot starts and second last time, though barrier 14 is the widest of all.

Small win bet on Hurricane Harley, Horcrux each-way.

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FAQ

What time does the first race start at Ascot on Saturday?

Race 1, the Tabtouch – Westspeed Platinum (Rs0ly) over 1600m, is set for 12:01PM. The last of the ten races, the Happy 80th Birthday Bernie Ryan (Bm66+) over 1200m, goes at 5:39PM, on a Good track.

Which jockeys and trainers go best at Ascot?

Lucy Fiore leads today’s riders with 27 wins from 125 Ascot rides, and Chris Parnham has 19 wins from 101. Among trainers, Michael Grantham wins with 11 of his 44 runners here, Mitchell Pateman has nine winners from 38, and D L Morton has ten winners and 31 placings from 66 starters.

What are the best bets at Ascot today?

Wild Things in Race 6 is the top pick after placing in all four runs since July. Silent Diva in Race 2 is the banker for multis, and King Of Light in Race 9 carries the Fiore and Morton combination after a first-up win.

Where can I find the best Ascot odds?

Markets had not opened at the time of writing. Compare the bookmakers listed above once prices go up, and check the place terms for Race 7, where Audio Boy has finished in the first three in all six Ascot starts.