1:30 Ascot

1:30 Ascot - Lylian 7/2 (1pt)

The Moore stable have won this race twice since 2017 including with the four-year-old Nassalam in 2021. They run LYLIAN (best priced at 7/2) this year who receives nearly a stone and a half of weight from his two rivals despite only being rated 10lbs lower on official ratings.

Lylian has run well on his two previous chase starts in France when winning by seven lengths and finishing a short neck 2nd and it is hard to know whether he is well handicapped off this opening mark.

2:05 Ascot

3:10 Ascot - Alexei 4/1 (0.5pt ew)

Indemnity is respected in his bid for a four-timer but preference goes to ALEXEI (best priced at 4/1) who seems fortunate to be allowed to run off the same mark as when 2nd in the Welsh Champion Hurdle on his reappearance. The Joe Tizzard trained five-year-old finished 4th in a strong listed novice hurdle at Exeter last season when behind the 139 rated Fingle Bridge, the 143 rated Regent’s Stroll and the subsequent oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle winner Julius Des Pictons who is now rated 138.

Alexei ran against those rivals off level weights that day and so he should prove well handicapped off a mark of 127 as shown when 2nd behind Celtic Dino in the Welsh Champion Hurdle last time. That rival will have been primed for that contest whereas most of the Joe Tizzard runners have been coming on for their first run of the season and he should prove hard to beat.