Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase

What better way to spend the final Saturday before Christmas than tuning in to watch an exciting six-race card at Ascot? While much of the focus will be on the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle, I’ve had a look at the big handicap on the card – the Howden Silver Cup.

12 runners have been declared for Saturday’s race and it’s 5/1 the field, which probably shows just how competitive the race is. Here, I talk through some of the market leaders and I’ve got a couple of selections to go to war with on Saturday afternoon.

Lacey Runner Has Strong Claims

Blow Your Wad shaped well on his seasonal reappearance when finishing three lengths adrift of Henry’s Friend and Tom Lacey’s mount has a 3lbs swing in the weights for that Ascot defeat.

It was his first run since wind surgery and he certainly stayed the trip on his first attempt at three miles. It looked like he was about to fall away but he stayed on again to finish a few lengths behind two competent staying handicap chasers.

He won the Grade 2 Pendil Novices Chase in 2024 but he now looks like a real stayer and he has untapped potential up in trip. The yard have had just one winner from 13 runners in the last two weeks though, which tempers enthusiasm slightly.

Roc Can Build On Newbury Effort

I like the chances of PIC ROC here and he ran a massive race in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury despite being inconvenienced at the start. Ben Pauling has been firing in the winners of late, with a strike rate of 30% over the past couple of weeks.

While he has won just two of his 17 starts under rules, both wins have come at right-handed tracks – including a novice hurdle at Ascot in 2024. He’s a consistent type, finishing in the first three in nine of the 14 races where he has completed.

He was well backed before the Coral Gold Cup but things didn’t go to plan for him that day but he still stayed on late, doing his best work at the finish. With a bit of luck, connections can gain compensation for his Newbury misfortune on Saturday.

Write Shrewd Williams Off At Your Peril 

Christian Williams is a brilliant target trainer when it comes to handicaps, especially in the staying division, and Deep Cave can run a big race for the South Wales trainer. This has likely been the plan for him since victory at Aintree back in April.

He’s moved around a bit, racing in Ireland, France and now the United Kingdom but that experience will do him no harm. Deep Cave won a nice race at Bangor-on-Dee on his seasonal debut and he should come on leaps and bounds for that run as well.

One minor concern for me is the trainer form. He is 0-16 with runners in the last fortnight but only two of those were even remotely fancied so while it’s not ideal, you could easily make a case for ignoring that statistic.

Victtorino For The Three-Peat

Can VICTTORINO win the Ascot Silver Cup for the third year in a row? He excels at the Berkshire track, with four wins from five starts at the course and he runs off a BHA mark of 146 – the same mark he won the Swinley Handicap Chase off in February.

He is just 3lbs higher than the mark he won this race off last year and The Changing Man is a decent yard stick to judge him on. Victtorino looks primed to go close once again, especially as conditions appear to be quick enough at Ascot.

Venetia Williams had a quiet November by her standards, but she’s been in the winner’s enclosure four times in December. With the yard now firing as we enter the busy festive period, it may prove prudent to keep a close eye on her runners.

Best Of The Rest?

You could make a case for the likes of Johnnywho and Transmission but they wouldn’t be for me. The former is surely going to be campaigned with the spring in mind while the latter hasn’t shown much spark in two starts so far this season.

He would be interesting if on a going day on Saturday though, particularly as he is now on a 2lbs lower mark than when finishing less than three lengths behind Haiti Couleurs – now rated 24lbs higher than that day – at Cheltenham last December.

Glengouly threw a spanner in the works in the December Gold Cup last weekend so I’m hoping that the outsider of the field doesn’t do me again here. Two For Gold has won at Ascot in the past but his best years are surely beyond him.

Howden Silver Cup Betting Tips

A competitive race and you can make a case for most of them but the two I’ve landed on are PIC ROC and VICTTORINO. Both bring solid form to the race and they should be primed to go close and I’m hoping one of them can prevail on Saturday afternoon.

• PIC ROC – 1pt WIN @ 11/2

• VICTTORINO – 1pt WIN @ 6/1