Talking Horses: 16-1 Isolate could be out on his own in Ascot feature

The prize money for Ascot’s Betfair Exchange Trophy is a lot less than when Alan King sent out Raya Star to win it in 2011, but a fantastically competitive field will line up just the same. The Wiltshire trainer has two of the more interesting runners and can bag the prize again with the topically named Isolate (3.35), appealingly priced at 16-1.

Better related than most hurdlers, as the half-brother to a Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, Isolate had enough pace to beat a subsequent winner in a Taunton novice in October. A much softer surface didn’t stop him at Leicester last time and his rating does not look harsh as he enters handicap company.

Whether he will be able to prove that in so hot a race is yet to be seen. At the other end of the weights, Buzz is the right favourite and it is surprising to see his price drifting.

1.50 Ascot Roberto Goldback and Valtor both won decent handicap chases at this track on their first starts for Nicky Henderson and Mengli Khan may be able to follow suit, having been sold off by Gigginstown in the autumn. He has often gone well fresh and, although he has had few chances to prove it, there has long been the suspicion that he could win the right handicap off this sort of rating. Gardefort has dropped to a dangerous mark for a horse who was once second in a Grand Annual but needs to rediscover some form as he returns from a 19-month absence.

2.05 Haydock War Lord looked one to follow scoring here four weeks ago but his stable, which seemed to be hitting its stride, is languishing on a 5% strike-rate for the past fortnight. The much smaller stable of Sandy Thomson has had more winners in that time and his McGowan’s Pass may be able to build on a fine reappearance run, when he went clear but tired and was run down by a race-fit rival.

2.25 Ascot It is tempting to go with Paisley Park to turn around the Newbury form with Thyme Hill, being fitter for the run and 3lb better off here. But both must concede half a stone to Roksana, who has had a longer break since her impressive return at Wetherby, and that could be asking a lot on this ground. The mare is unexposed at this distance and has more to offer.

2.40 Haydock The Tommy Whittle was immediately mentioned by the trainer when Sojourn was an authoritative winner at Carlisle seven weeks back. An 11lb rise might not be enough to anchor this lightly raced, progressive type who has had no problem rolling through the mud so far.

3.00 Ascot Testing ground looks like good news for Quarenta, who would otherwise be at risk of getting outpaced at this distance. He was able to win here last month but is likely to be all the better for that reappearance and is preferred to Espoir De Guye and The Conditional, who have shot up the handicap over the last 18 months. CC

Allart lights up the Ascot gloom

Nicky Henderson does not pitch many horses straight into Grade Two company for their chasing debut, but the ones judged good enough in recent years include Simonsig, Bobs Worth and Santini. That makes Allart, a comfortable winner of the Noel Novice Chase on Friday, an immensely promising new name on the list.

Allart’s fencing was a little clumsy at the third and sixth but otherwise there was little hint of his inexperience as Nico de Boinville nudged him towards Fiddlerontheroof, the favourite, between the final two fences and then took charge with a big jump at the last to record victory behind closed doors at Ascot.

“I wouldn’t often do that, I’ve done it before and regretted it,” Henderson said. “That was a great bit of horsemanship and riding from Nico because he managed to educate him at the same time as winning the race. To do that first time out in a Grade Two was brave, verging on stupidity from my point of view, and brave but brilliant from Nico.”

Allart runs in the same colours as Simonsig, the winner of the same race eight years ago and the two-mile Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham the following March. Allart, though, seems more likely to be kept at around two-and-a-half miles, not least because Shishkin, who had Allart back in fifth when he took the Supreme Novice Hurdle in March, is the stable’s main hope for the Arkle.

“We have Shishkin over two miles and while he [Allart] will stay two-and-a-half no problem, then you walk into [Gordon Elliott’s unbeaten] Envoi Allen,” Henderson said. But as some people tell me, not all roads lead to Cheltenham. I certainly think we’ll be sticking above two miles but I’d be surprised if he was a three-miler as he has so much pace.”

Allart was cut to around 14-1 (from 40-1) for the Marsh Novice Chase at Cheltenham in March, while My Drogo, who took the Supreme Novice Hurdle Trial on the Ascot card, is around 16-1 for opening race of the Festival meeting.

There was a surprise result in the feature race of the day in Ireland as Holymacapony and Fighter Allen, the first and second favourites for the Grade Two Navan Novice Hurdle, both failed to finish, allowing the 14-1 outsider Ashdale Bob to take the spoils for Jessica Harrington’s stable.Both the favourites were both pulled up and dismounted before jumping the last. GW