Expert horse racing betting tips for w/c Saturday, December 20th 2025

Grade 1 racing from Ascot takes centre stage this weekend with the Long Walk Hurdle topping the bull. It's also Tommy Whittle day at Haydock, with plenty of action to look forward to across that meeting and elsewhere.

Our Punters Panel are back to give their opinions on what is sure to be another brilliant weekend of racing.

Introducing the Odds Now Horse Racing Punters Panel

Before we get stuck in, here’s a little bit more on the five experts answering our key questions this week:

SD - The self-proclaimed ‘star of the show’ on Races Now, who has been going viral with his daily tips and betting ring analysis over the past year.

Adam Smith - A betting industry veteran, flat lover and one half of our Races Now double act.

Harry Fowler - Another of Odds Now’s regular racing contributors, currently working in the industry.

Steve Mullington - Races Now follower who has worked in the industry for many years as a freelance journalist.

Liam Hedgecock - North-east-based racing fan who has been working in the sport since 2021. Second-time Races Now contributor.

Grade 1 action this weekend at Ascot. Who wins the Long Walk Hurdle?

SD: Honesty Policy offers something different against a shedload of exposed types and may prove equal to the task. Don’t forget about the French cheval Jet Blue either, who, like the first named, is hitherto unexposed.

AS: I’d like to see Crambo make it a Long Walk hat-trick, but JP McManus has other ideas. Impose Toi simply has the best recent form, having beaten Strong Leader on his last start, so he’s the one to beat.

HF: A lot will be said about the JP McManus pair at the top of the market, but I fancy Potters Charm. He was hammered on seasonal reappearance to beat Strong Leader but fell at the fourth hurdle. I think the run over 2 1/2 miles behind Wodhooh wasn’t a bad effort, and up to his trip this season, 3 miles will see him come on a good bit. At 9/1, he looks a nice each-way bet.

SM: I’d love to see Strong Leader win this, but I really don’t think there will be enough juice in the ground for him, so I’m going to give an each-way shout to Colonel Mustard. The lovely Lorna Fowler (née Bradbourne) has the veteran in tip-top form at the moment, and over his career, he’s raced against the best. He surely has to come into the reckoning?

LH: I am 99% sure JP McManus will own the winner of this race on Saturday, but I’m going for Impose Toi over Honesty Policy. It is difficult to ignore the steep upward trajectory Impose Toi has set himself on since being upped to 3m. He has always hinted at being a bit better than just a handicapper, and there was so much to like about the smooth way he went about his business in the Long Distance Hurdle last time out. He is a confident selection in the Long Walk.

Anything else taking your eye at Ascot?

SD: Plenty. Wilful has a big weight advantage in the last, and I'll be double-dipping on Jonnywho, while Pic Roc, for handicapping reasons, is a must.

AS: I like Hyland, who comes back down in trip slightly, which I think is right down his street. He has dropped four pounds in the handicap for two average efforts so far this season, so now looks dangerous.

HF: I do think Firefox looks the winner and potentially the only one there to win in the first, but he's short. In the 1:50pm, General Medrano, down to 136, surely has a race in him off that mark. I fancied him the last day, but he disappointed, and the handicapper dropping him 3lbs looks generous. Now with Sean Bowen booked, I think he goes in.

SM: Issam (1.50pm) looked a lovely sort destined for bigger things when I saw him win at Wetherby, and his owner, Lady Gibbings, is an absolute dear. Should he oblige, it’ll make for good telly, you can tell ‘em.

LH: Issam (1:50pm) has improved plenty for going chasing and is unbeaten over fences at this trip (2/3 overall). This doesn’t look the strongest of contests, and his price (9/2 at the time of writing) is a very fair one at present. In the finale, a chance should be taken on the unexposed thrice-raced Live Conti (3:35pm), who is currently 14/1 for the Skelton team. He was runner-up in Grade 1 company at Aintree in the Spring, and this looks a smart starting point for this 4-year-old’s 2025/26 campaign. He could hold the class edge against these rivals.

It's Tommy Whittle day at Haydock. Who wins the feature staying chase?

SD: Jacks Parrot. The case is he’s on the same mark as when second in this last year and had a prep run for this with a lovely amble around Bangor.

AS: Grand Geste and Saladins Son are near the top of the market, but both are on career-high marks in the deepest waters of their careers. Famous Bridge was third in this race last year, and off a 2lbs lower mark, he’s of interest.

HF: I’m with SD on this one. He put him up on Monday at nicer prices, but I do think Jacks Parrot will win the Tommy Whittle. The yard is in better form now than his first two runs, and he looks sure to go well.

SM: If she runs to her best, I really cannot see the gorgeous grey mare My Silver Lining finishing out of the frame. This slightly shorter staying trip should hopefully work to her advantage.

LH: I never like backing horses with heaps of weight in these long-distance soft-ground slugfests over the jumps, which puts me off Top Of The Bill and onto Saladins Son, who finished 7 lengths behind the former last time here but gets a 14lb pull in the weights now. Anthony Honeyball’s 7-year-old has thrived since joining the yard and looks a staying chaser to follow off this mark

Any other bets lined up for that meeting?

SD: Sunnyvilla looks ripe for the 1.30pm. He remains of interest from a weights perspective and is likely to come on for latest start.

AS: Jackie Hobbs (2:40pm) is my favourite named horse of the weekend, being by sire Jack Hobbs. But the short answer is no.

HF: I like Supreme Malinas in the 2:40pm. Looked good when beating A Path To Ronda at Exeter last month and will have come on a good bit for that seasonal reappearance. The Skeltons are always one to have on side on the Saturdays.

SM: North Parade can hopefully give up-and-coming jockey Oscar Palmer a great spin in the opener, while the Aintree winner Ernest Gray can follow up on Merseyside again in the lucky last.

LH: Elsewhere on the card, I really like the chances of Cobbler’s Boy (12:55pm) for Dan Skelton on his handicap bow. He showed the benefit of wind surgery when winning a run-of-the-mill maiden hurdle on his seasonal return and should have plenty of potential to progress at this level.

Did Lord Allen’s recent speech convince you that the future is bright for British racing?

SD: I paid no attention to him. Actions speak louder than words, and he needs to show meaningful change, not just for the sake of it. He remains unconvincing.

AS: Until the BHA have the power to cut or remove fixtures, it doesn’t really matter who is in charge of the regulator. The sport faces many headwinds: foal crops, betting turnover, levy yield, and attendances. Plus, all of the things the sport doesn’t control, like government fiscal policy.

HF: With everything going on in racing (i.e. Kempton), it’s hard to get too excited about the future of our sport. For a while, it’s been disappointing, and a reduction of 30p a pint at Cheltenham isn’t exactly what people had hoped for.

SM: If racing thinks it dodged a bullet in the “Rachel From Accounts” recent budget, it seriously needs to think again. A sport that currently has over ten individual groups forming an overall organisational body, it is always going to struggle for governance. There are simply too many people pulling in different, and often selfish, directions. The sooner Lord Allen can strip the current fatberg down to one overall governing body, the better. When your current governance structure includes at least one organisation that waves its power of veto more than any permanent United Nations member, you have a serious problem with making progress. Bin those layers off, Mr Labour Peer!

LH: Lord Allen has come into his current position with a bigger reputation than that of his predecessors, which is great, but the proof will be in the pudding. For racing’s sake, I hope he can be the man to lead the sport into the light. I don’t want to be reading a Racing Post headline when he leaves his position, where I am scratching my head about what he actually did during his time as BHA Chair, as I did with Julie Harrington.

Which horse or race are you most looking forward to seeing over the Christmas period?

SD: The Rowland Meyrick is always one of my favourites, and I am excited to see entries. No doubt Sedgefield will be a great card on Boxing Day too.

AS: It has to be Fact To File, who looks like he is going to Kempton now. And the King George generally looks a belting renewal overall.

HF: Fact To File for me is so exciting, I loved his win last season in the Ryanair and think he’s up there with the most exciting horses in training. That King George looks like an absolute Christmas cracker! Away from that, I do like Le Divin Enfant and seeing the Christmas entries, he would be my Supreme bet at Cheltenham before running over Christmas.

SM: I would love to see O'Connell line up in the Welsh Grand National over Christmas. Sue and her grandson have got a fine staying chaser on their hands there.

LH: I am fascinated to see Sir Gino back on a racecourse. I was so gutted when he suffered a season-ending injury at the start of the year after he looked like a monster at Kempton on his second chase start. He has to prove that ability remains, which is no given after he nearly passed away, but the Christmas Hurdle looks a sensible starting point, and, hopefully, he can give Seven Barrows another win in this iconic Festive contest.