TONY CALVIN: SATURDAY’s stats and info

SATURDAY STATS AND INFO SECTION

1.COURSE DETAILS

ASCOT (been pouring the water on – see below)

GOING: Good, good to firm in places

Going stick: Straight: 8.0, Round: 6.2; Soil Moisture: 38% (readings taken at 7.30am on Thursday)

Stalls: Straight Course: Centre. Round Course: Inside

Thursday course update: 1.6mm rain recorded on Saturday afternoon/evening, dry since then to Thursday morning. A generally dry week is forecast with an occasional shower possible through to Saturday. Estimated total rainfall from now through to racing on Saturday is 1 to 2mm. For access to our live weather station and for the latest Going info please go to www.ascot.com/thegoing

Watering: Watering Straight 8mm on Thursday morning. Watered Straight Course 8mm on Tuesday. Watered Round course 3mm overnight to Wednesday and Tuesday mornings and whole track 3mm overnight to Monday. Irrigated 26mm on Straight and 20mm on Round course through the previous week.

Yr.no latest (6.50am Thursday):  Dry, sunny spells and warm

LINGFIELD (“Watering to maintain” – not good enough)

GOING: Good to firm, good in places

Whole track was vertidrained w/c 13th April.

Going stick: 7.3, Thursday 7.30am

Average soil moisture reading (07.05.26) = 46.7%

Rails: Rail is on the innermost line down the hill. There will be a cutaway in place at the 3f for all round course races.

Stalls:1m2f – Inside 1m3f – Outside Remainder – Centre

Thursday course update: Dry yesterday, highs of 14C. Forecast: Sunny spells today, 15C. Chance of a shower this afternoon. Sunny spells tomorrow, 19C. Cloudy on Saturday, 21C.

Watering: “Watering to maintain” (not good enough)

Yr.no latest (6.50am Thursday):  Light showers if anything

HAYDOCK

GOING – Hurdles:  Good, good to soft in places

Going stick: 7.2, Thursday 8am

Rails: All hurdle races will be run in the centre of the jump track with the stable bend out 14yds and east bend out 8yds from the innermost line.

Thursday course update:16mm Saturday overnight. Sunny spells this week. Limited showers in forecast. Max temp increasing to 17°C

Watering: Hurdle: 6mm on bends, last furlong and back-straight Wednesday. Full circuit (8-10mm) Thursday.

Yr.no latest (6.50am Thursday):  6.8mm Friday; 2mm Saturday

2.BALLOTED OUT (be sure to get your money back on these horses)

1.15pm Haydock: Paddockwood, Brendas Asking, Unjeu Royal, Mojito des Mottes, Scintillante

2.20pm Ascot: Sword, Master Richard, Diligent Resdev, Jimmy Speaking, Pietro Son, Winston’s Warrior

3.FIRST-TIME HEADGEAR STATS to follow

Dan Skelton hood; Tellherthename 1.15pm Haydock; 10-47 (since 2013)

Fergal O’Brien cheekpieces; Frontier Prince 1.15pm Haydock; 12-81 (2016) 

Eve Johnson Houghton visor; Great Acclaim, 2.20pm Ascot 6-49 (2010) (2025)

Ed Walker cheekpieces; So Darn Hot, 2.20pm Ascot; 4-39 (2016) 

James Owen cheekpieces; Kirchner; 2.55pm Ascot; 10-59 (2024)

Micky Bowen cheekpieces; Whatsgoingonmarvin, 2.55pm Ascot; 1-6 (2025)

4.PACE MAPS (manually assessed)

12.55pm Lingfield: Twisting Physics (drawn 3), Noble Horizon (10), Youthful King (4), Warning Sign (prom – 1)

1.15pm Haydock: Laafi, Alnilam, Bucephalus, Tellherthename?

1.28pm Lingfield: Bloom (5), Cameo (1)

1.45pm Ascot: Radiant Beauty (9), Song N Dance (prom – 6)

1.58pm Lingfield: A Taste Of Glory (5), Balzac (2), Bay Of Brilliance (1), Maho Bay (6)

2.20pm Ascot: Golden Mind (23), Khafij (prom – 18), Yorkshire (28), Humam (5)

2.40pm Lingfield: No obvious pace

2.55pm Ascot: Al Wasl Storm (5), Golden Grey (1), Whatsgoingonmarvin (prom – 7), Bulletin (6), Serenity Blue (8), Hermetic (4), Wine Dark Sea (3)

3.15pm Lingfield: Mr Swivell (4), Apotheosis (prom – 6)

5.TRAINERFORM (manually assessed); form going into Thursday’s racing

Good:  Andrew Balding (big sample), John and Thady Gosden, James Owen (very good – 25/1 winner on Wednesday), Aidan O’Brien,  William Haggas, Owen Burrows, James Fanshawe, William Durkan (very small sample), Olly Murphy, Dan Skelton, Killahena and McPherson, Alastair Ralph, Luke Dace (small sample), Jonathan Portman, Ed Walker, Michael Herrington, George Baker, Mickey Bowen

Fair: Ian Williams (double on Wednesday),  Ralph Beckett, Richard and Peter Fahey, Kevin Phillipart De Foy (fair/good),  Eve Johnson Houghton, David Menuisier, James Tate, Charlie Johnston, Ewan Whillans, Mick Appleby, Sean Woods, Neil Mulholland (fair/moderate), Emma Lavelle, Tom Lacey, Alan King, Anthony Honeyball, Faye Bramley, Jack Jones, Fergal O’Brien, Oli Rix (one winner; five runners), Tony Carroll, Richard Hannon, Jane Chapple-Hyam, James Horton, John Gallagher, Kevin Ryan, William Knight, Stuart Williams (could do with more winners), Simon and Ed Crisford, Clive Cox, Jim Goldie, David Simcock, Mike Murphy, David O’Meara, Ed Bethell, Hamad Al Jehani (fair/moderate), Jamie Osborne, Muir and Grassick, Daniel and Claire Kubler, Henrietta Knight

Moderate: Tom Clover, Harry Charlton (small sample),  Stuart Edmunds (small sample), Oliver Cole, Henry Candy, Gary and Josh Moore, Charlie Appleby, Joey Ramsden

Don’t know: Martyn Meade (one runner)