Ascot top racing tip: Raising Sand shaping up to roll back the years

15:22 Ascot: Racing Welfare Classified Stakes (1 mile) 

With three early-morning withdrawals, including the strongly-fancied Hickory, the field is reduced to eight, which is the minimum required for three places, so effectively improves the remaining each-way options.

Hickory’s absence leaves Jeffs Koons and Florida jostling for the favourite tag, with the latter looking to build on a useful last-time-out success at York 10 days ago.

However, at a best price of around 11/4, they hold little appeal, better value might be found identifying which four runners carrying a double-digit price offers the best each-way value.

Sweet Reward enjoyed two wins over the summer, but they were both over longer or more testing conditions, and he might struggle with the extra pace here, which leaves us looking at the old-timer of the eight runners, Raising Sand, as our best outsider bet to challenge the market leaders.

Planet Sport Bet: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Raising Sand finishes in the first 3 places, get a £5 Free Bet!

At 11 years old, he gives five years to the next oldest contender and eight to five of them, but they would be wise to respect his advancing years, as it was at this time last year that he produced his best form to land two back-to-back victories, the second of which was in this corresponding Ascot race.

He began his spring campaign with a promising fourth of 22 in the Doncaster Spring Handicap in April, followed by a couple of more modest performances at Newmarket and Ascot in May.

These days, the veteran is raced sparingly and only when conditions suit, so he should enter calculations when Jamie Osborne decides he is ready to make an appearance.

Saffie Osborne remains the 11-year-old’s regular rider, and she has landed six winners from her last three rides, three of them for her father, so both jockey and stable appear to be in the kind of form that bodes well for Raising Sands’ chances of being in the mix.

Suggested bet: Raising Sand each-way in the 15:22 at Ascot

• Tip advised by On the Money Tips on Tipstrr

 

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