Expert horse racing betting tips for w/c Saturday, January 17th 2026

The racing action is back after the disrupted schedule of last weekend. No storms due in this week, so we're expecting everything to go ahead without issues.

There is the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot, the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock, and further action from Windsor, Fakenham, and Thurles on a jam-packed Saturday.

Our Punters Panel are back to give their opinions on what is sure to be another brilliant weekend of racing. The tipsters have also offered their thoughts on the early betting ahead of the Cheltenham Festival in case the racing falls victim to the weather.

Introducing the Odds Now Horse Racing Punters Panel

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

SD - Races Now's tipster extraordinaire who has shot to prominence over the last year with his engaging content and stellar betting record.

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.

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

Will Platts - Racing lover and expert horse racing tipster for The Daily Nag.

Grade 1 action by way of the Clarence House Chase at Ascot. Can anything get near Il Etait Temps?

SD: No, but there’s a wager in the race. With rain in deepest Berkshire, anything at 2/1 or more Gidleigh Park in the without market is value. Thistle Ask wants better ground, and old Jonbon is on the wane.

AS: El Etait Temps is pretty bombproof, as the odds suggest. I think Jonbon is going backwards, and they are already talking about going up in trip. So the without the favourite market is the way to play it.

HF: No, I don’t think so. Jonbon will be the last time we see him over this trip, I'd suggest, while next in the market we have Thistle Ask, who has had a meteoric rise, but this is a massive step up.

LH: Simply put, no. He’s the younger horse who’s coming into his prime years, and the ease with which he brushed aside Jonbon in the Tingle Creek Chase suggests to me he will have his measure here once again. The other horses in the lineup aren’t really Grade 1 class either.

WP: Jonbon will need to be at his best to overturn Il Etait Temps, who sets a high standard on the evidence of his Sandown run. However, with rain forecast, conditions may help bridge the gap. On soft ground, Jonbon’s top-speed figures compare very favourably, and Ascot is a track he clearly enjoys (2/2 here). If Jonbon is going to take a step forward this season, this looks like the ideal opportunity. It is also worth noting that the favourite is making his track debut.

Anything else you fancy on the Ascot card?

SD: How’s about Metier at a huge price? I thought Sandown showed us that the fire was not yet extinguished.

AS: Hitman (2:20pm) is a bit in and out as a ten-year-old nowadays, but he has a lot of back class. This is his first time in a handicap for a year, and he carries a big weight, but has shown enough this season to suggest he can go well at a nice price.

HF: I’m a huge fan of La Conquiere and will back her in the 1:40pm. But my best bet at Ascot comes in the 2:20pm. I was initially hoping Venetia would declare Martator. Looking at the race and finding it hard to look any further than Vincenzo. Vincenzo’s two runs this season have been both 2nd in better races than this, and I think he just wins on Saturday.

LH: In the Bet365 Handicap Chase at 2.20pm, this looks like a great opportunity for Vincenzo to finally have his day in the sun. He has run well in defeat, finishing second in two big handicap chases at Cheltenham this season, the form of which looks solid. This looks like an easier assignment on paper, and this improving chaser can get back to winning ways here.

WP: At a big price, the 2:20pm, Fugitif is worth supporting on his first run after a wind operation. The 5lb claim from Maggs could prove significant on his first start at Ascot. He also receives a huge 20lb swing in the weights with Hitman and could reverse a 14-length deficit from their last meeting, with ground perhaps more likely to suit too. In the 1:00pm, Kap Vert rates a solid each-way play. The Hobbs team are in good form, and there is scope for further improvement.

The Peter Marsh Chase takes centre stage at Haydock, and it looks a cracker. Who are you backing?

SD: Imperial Saint may improve for going 3 miles plus and is on a handy enough mark. I thought quotes of 33/1 were farcical with firms paying 3 places. I’d be nearer 12/1. Myretown is readily preferred to the market leaders over Konfusion.

AS: A small but decent quality field. Myretown has been a name on many lips since his romp in the Ultima, but has yet to deliver in only one start in the 10 months since. Konfusion is too high in the weights, and Johnnywho doesn’t win very often. So this is Myretown’s coming-out party.

HF: I am on Johnnywho. He was a big eyecatcher last time and should’ve won. This step up in trip looks sure to suit, and I’m sure he is a lot better than 146. A big worry is that they might be trying to get him to drop a pound to get in the Kim Muir. However, I think they will be looking for decent ground at Aintree in April for the National.

LH: It was a straightforward assignment, but Konfusion never looked like being beaten in the Rowland Meyrick on Boxing Day. Connections have given him an entry in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and this small but talented chaser can land yet another notable Northern handicap staying chase before heading to Prestbury Park.

WP: With little value in Konfusion, preference is for Richmond Lake, who may be underestimated off a light weight of 10st 3lb. He ran well last time out over 2m4f behind Uncle Bert, now steps up in trip – which could be a positive – and is 5lb below his last winning mark. A strong top-speed figure suggests the recent wind operation has had the desired effect. He finished third in this race last year behind Mr Vango and now enjoys a significant 21lb swing in the weights. This will be his third run post wind-op, and the Hughes/McCain combination can be very effective in races like this.

Any other bets lined up elsewhere on Saturday?

SD: I’m sure there will be a wager or two. You know where to find them – Races Now X and Races Now YouTube tomorrow morning!

AS: I’d like to see Old Park Star wazz up in the Rossington (1:25pm) and go on to be a real Supreme contender for the Brits.

HF: Away from the main two meetings, there are little to no prices at the time of writing. In the 7:00pm at Southwell, I’m excited to see Venetian Prince back out. The horse was very good at Newbury and ran well in a strong race at Newmarket on debut. I’ll have to see about prices, though. It may just end up as a watching brief, with him most likely being short.

LH: In the 1.40pm at Ascot, I think the lightly raced and exciting La Conquiere will get the hat-trick up against more exposed rivals. She looks like a Grade 1 mare in waiting for Jamie Snowden and Gavin Sheehan.

WP: Master Of My Fate in the 7:30pm at Southwell looks back in form and now operates off a competitive mark. He wasn’t given a hard time at Lingfield last time out and finished within a length or so of Michaela's Boy, bringing solid form into this contest. The booking of Jason Hart is a positive signal, and a big run is expected for the Quinn yard.

More ITV racing on Sunday comes from Windsor, Fakenham and Thurles. Anything you have your eye on?

SD: I think Protekorat is short enough in the Fleur De Lys Chase. He’s not getting any younger, and one may just nobble him. Which one, I’ve yet to commit to.

AS: I’d like to see Protektorat go well in the Fleur De Lys (3:00pm) and the rearranged Hampton Novices’ (1:20pm) looks a better renewal in terms of number of runners than might have been expected a few days ago.

HF: I like Planned Paradise in the 3m4f handicap chase on Sunday. The horse won the race last year off 107 and now goes again off a mark of 100. He has had four runs this season over shorter distances with a claimer on board. Jack Tudor is currently jocked, and at 12/1, I think they could have a great chance of back-to-back successes.

LH: I’m very much looking forward to seeing Handstands return in the Fleur De Lys Chase (3.00pm) at Windsor. He wasn’t right in the Betfair Chase at Haydock, but he made a pleasing seasonal return prior to that. Ben Pauling thinks an awful lot of him, and I’m inclined to keep the faith here.

WP: Nothing for me at the moment.

The Constitution Hill saga continues on the flat at Southwell next month. What do you make of it all?

SD: Races should not be moved for the sake of one horse. Several, maybe, but not one. It is disappointing that connections have clicked their fingers and, hey presto, this has materialised. It sets a horrible precedent.

AS: I’ve long been bored with the whole thing. Never has a horse who has achieved so little in three years had so many column inches dedicated to him. On the Southwell race, I don’t understand all the fuss. They’ve moved a race that absolutely no one cares about by one week to a bigger day where there are ITV cameras. WHO CARES?!

HF: I think it’s great and don’t really get all the negativity. He’s a superstar, and people want to see him run. Yes, they’ve raised the prize money, but people will go to that meeting now just to see him. I certainly wouldn’t have gone to that fixture, but I will be going now. Ultimately, more feet through the turnstiles is something the sport has been trying to do, and this is a way of doing it.

LH: I’m becoming a little tired and fed up with all the PR and noise which comes prior to every time he runs. Nobody wants to see him come back to his old self more than me, but they just don’t come back. Can you imagine the furore (& rightly so) if he turned up in the Champion Hurdle and didn’t get away with another fall? Is it really worth it?

WP: The Constitution Hill saga is interesting, to say the least. A couple of spins on the Flat might provide the change of scenery and confidence boost he needs, before perhaps being given one final shot at redemption over hurdles later on. From a punting perspective, though, he doesn’t excite me – and never really has – but I’ll still be tuning in whenever he runs.