Horse Racing Tips: Tanya Stevenson's Selections For Saturday

Tanya Stevenson's Selections For Saturday

• The Panel Selection 1: 14:25 Ascot - Samarrive (Each-Way)
• The Panel Selection 2: 15:00 Ascot - Threeunderthrufive (Nap)
• The Panel Selection 3: 15:27 Ascot - D’Orhy

Check out the latest episode of the RaceHour below.

Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 1: Ascot 14:25 - Samarrive (Each-Way) 

I'm going completely left field in the 14:25 and picking Samarrive in this tricky handicap hurdle.

Paul Nicholls has won the race twice in the last six years with Brie Conti in 2019 and Irish Hill in 2023. Samarrive has only run twice since April 2023, so he has obviously had his problems.

Both those runs have been over the bigger obstacles, which to the untrained eye he simply doesn’t like. Yet when watching him over hurdles he seemed to be the ideal type for a fence.

He ran in this race two years ago behind stable companion Irish Hill off a rating of 143. He didn’t have the clearest of runs either as they turned for home. 

He is now back down to 136 and albeit three years ago he coasted home at Sandown over hurdles off 137. 

Samarrive can race clumsily, watch his replays and you'll know what I mean, but he will relish this big field. 

He is a big price with betting apps and might sneak through for a place.

Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 2: Ascot 15:00 - Threeunderthrufive (Nap)

The Ditcheat maestro has every chance of doing a copy and paste in the Swinley Chase at 15:00. It is a race full of hold up horses, Hasthing, Victtorino, Snipe and Terrisita.  

They will all play a patient waiting game, so the most important component is the front-runner. That is last year's winner Threeunderthrufive, who has been completely disregarded. 

Hasthing undoubtedly has the most potential to be a star in the making, but only if he sharpens his jumping skills. 

He was lucky that they omitted the last fence at Windsor otherwise he may not have been able to recompose to swoop through. His rivals won't be waiting for him, in fact some might be coming from behind him in this.

Snipe ran well enough at Doncaster, but in hindsight I felt he was held approaching the last and although his penultimate run behind Val Dancer reads well, this is much better opposition.

Terresita is a bonny mare who may well be in the grip of the handicapper now, plus she goes up from 2m 5f to three miles today and will she have the same acceleration left?

Twelve months ago Threeunderthrufive beat Victtorino into fourth in this race and the Paul Nicholls runner is only a pound worse off. 

On the week that saw the announcements of the Grand National weights, Threeunderthrufive is one of a few for Paul Nicholls, 

I sense the trainer could have the last laugh over all his critics by winning the Aintree spectacular with another grey, this time Kandoo Kid. 

Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 3: Ascot 15:37 - Pic D’Orhy

Paul Nicholls has been in the headlines this week, more for what he hasn’t done rather than all the races he has won.  

He is such a genius and has so many trainers championships to his name that the legendary status he holds will come under the meticulous scrutiny when he has one of his quieter seasons. 

Despite the fact in January he was running at an 8% strike rate and so far in February the month has only increased to a 10% strike rate, overall for the whole season it is 18%.   

In an interview earlier this week he mentioned that the flu jab had set back his stable more so than expected, but once one wins there will be more to follow in quick succession. 

His last Grade 1 success was exactly a year ago in the Ascot Chase with Pic D’Orhy and the fact is he hasn’t had as many Grade 1 runners, not even at prices that bring in the likelihood of victory. 

Pic D’Orhy is in his realm and he simply loves Ascot, he has won four times from eight runs at the course. 

February is a good month for him too, as he has never finished out of the first three in six runs, and he has won 10 of his 20 races over the bigger obstacles.  

He has run in nine Grade 1s, winning two. He is likely to try and make all the running, as he did last year especially at Ascot. 

L’Homme Presse and Corbetts Cross line up against him, but these are three milers through and through. Remember how long it took L’Homme Presse to overcome Stage Star at Cheltenham?

Plus his mind may be firmly set on the Gold Cup or maybe the Grand National now the weights are published. Venetia Williams' charge will give it his best, but he may not be quick enough. 

After eight races over the bigger obstacles, there is still so much more to come from Corbetts Cross. 

But Ascot can be deceptively quick once turning for home, and for all his potential he didn’t have the pace to get to them at Aintree in the Bowl last year and the King George run at the pace of a sprint was not for him.  

He is a top-class Grade 1, but to go and take on Pic D’Orhy in his realm you have to have that as the main aim.