- Ascot King George Weekend Day 1: Best bet, each-way selection and treble
- Recommended bets include: 
- Attila The Honey to win the John Guest Racing Brown Jack Handicap
- The Big Board each-way in the Berenberg October Club Supporting Back Up Fillies' Handicap

Friday’s card does not possess the wealth of quality action that King George Day does but the racing should be competitive and is definitely worth a watch. 

Day 1 - Key info

First race: 13:50 John Guest Racing British EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes

Feature race: 15:35 John Guest Racing Handicap

There are five handicaps on the card and the best of those is the £45,000 Class 2 John Guest Racing Handicap over 1m4f. John & Thady Gosden’s handicap debutant Mutaawid is a fascinating contender for that race, having bolted up in novice company when last seen.

The opening race on the card is an interesting novice for two-year-old fillies and four of the seven runners are newcomers, making it one to get the notebook out for.

Best bet of the day 

Attila The Honey to win the John Guest Racing Brown Jack Handicap (14:25) @ 4/1

Charlie Johnston’s Attila The Honey has been very progressive so far this season, winning three of her last five starts. This includes a very impressive success when upped to an extended 1m5f at Newbury last time out, where she pulled away nicely to win by just shy of four lengths.

She showed no signs of stopping at the end of the race despite making all the running, and the step up to two miles is unlikely to be an issue on the evidence of that effort.

Life may well be a little harder in the future as she is due to go up 8lb for that success, so now might be a good time to catch her as she carries a 6lb penalty instead here. This daughter of Jukebox Jury could well be one to follow until her limitations are exposed.

Best each-way bet of the day

The Big Board in the Berenberg October Club Supporting Back Up Fillies' Handicap (16:45) @ SP

Richard Hannon runs The Big Board here and the four-year-old can get back on track. It has been a very disappointing campaign so far but that means she is now very well handicapped on her best form. Her best effort of 2024 did come here at Ascot. However, she was a fair fourth over 6f back in May. 

Pulling too hard that day, that run came off a mark of 90 and her current mark is 9lb lower. There are obviously risks attached here but she is definitely capable of running a big race at a big price if she puts it all together.

She has four wins to her name and the most recent of those came over course and distance in July 2023 off an 11lb higher mark. On that evidence, Hannon’s filly should be very competitive off this sort of rating, and a return to form could well be on the agenda.

Day 1 acca

Bet 1: Back Attila The Honey to win the John Guest Racing Brown Jack Handicap (14:25) @ 4/1

A strong case has already been put forward for this horse, and as we suggested earlier, there could be more to come from this progressive sort before the handicapper catches up.

Bet 2: Back Mutaawid to win the John Guest Racing Handicap (15:35) @ 2/1

This horse really could be anything, and he is unlikely to be contesting handicaps for much longer if his six-length victory at Kempton last time out is anything to go by. It is hard to know what to make of his mark but he should be up to winning this if producing a similar effort.

Bet 3: Back Baltic to win the Slingsby Gin Handicap (16:10) @ SP

Baltic has gone from strength to strength since switching to handicaps, and Harry Charlton’s lightly raced four-year-old completed a four-timer in good style at Newcastle last month. He is up 8lb for that win but it would be no surprise if there was further improvement to come.