Ante-Post Focus

Gary Nutting has tipped up the following winners over the summer in his Ante-Post Focus column:

20-1 Wizard Of Eye, Victoria Cup 
12-1 Daiquiri Bay, Copper Horse Handicap
25-1 Align The Stars, Northumberland Plate
14-1 Daiquiri Bay, Ebor Handicap
16-1 Pina Sonata, Sceptre Fillies' Stakes

Published 27/10

No trainer would get more pleasure from winning the Sodexo Live! Regal Encore Handicap Chase than Anthony Honeyball, who appears to have another ideal candidate in LEAVE OF ABSENCE at Ascot on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Racing.

The horse referenced in the race title helped establish Honeyball on the big stage and was a course-and-distance specialist, gaining all four career handicap wins over the trip here, including this event at the ripe old age of 12 six years ago.

Leave Of Absence has already shown his liking for the place, having won a novice hurdle, finished runner-up in a Reynoldstown and pipped in a head-bobbing finish to the Silver Cup last December on his three visits to date.

That last-gasp defeat came off a mark of 145 so his chance this weekend is obvious off a 3lb lower mark, combined with a good record fresh - he has won or finished second on all five starts after a break of 12 weeks or more, including on return from seven-month absence at Cheltenham last autumn.

His record on good ground reads 1121 (two of those performances here) and the stable’s form is encouraging, with two winners from just three runners in the last fortnight at the time of writing.

Freshened up by a good holiday, which he looked in need of when running well below par under top-weight at the Grand National Festival (his Cheltenham fifth in the Ultima may have left its mark), he remains one to be interested in after just nine starts over fences and 13 under rules in total.