🏇 Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup, Ascot & Wetherby: The Full Report

Boo! 🎃

Scaresville has already struck this week when The Stony Baker landed odds of 200/1 at Catterick on Tuesday.

Nah, we didn't back it either. We're still working on the 200/1 shot.

Another week, more winners for Pro members, who backed 8/1, 7/1 and 2/1 winners this week!

The pick of the bunch? Paddockwood, of course, who won at 8/1 at Newton Abbot on Wednesday thanks to our Midweek Edges 👇

And today, Crebilly won at 7/1 at Wetherby, our only trends pick in the race from the same Midweek Report.

We won't always land big-priced winners, and we can't promise them. But this is the research Pro is built on.

Coming up in Pro:

Founding price ends 30 November

Join now for £59.99 a year, just £5 a month, and keep that price for as long as you're a member. After 30 November, it goes up.

You'll also get our Jumps Season Preview 2026/27 straight to your inbox when you join. It's already produced a 9/1 winner in Williethebuilder.

👉 The Breeders’ Cup takes place in Kentucky on Saturday evening – nine Grade 1 races all live on Sky Sports Racing from 5.10pm.

👉 European stars on show in Kentucky include: Sun Goddess, Comanche Brave, Blue Bolt, Notable Speech and Diamond Necklace.

👉 Ascot and Wetherby stage two quality jumps meetings on Saturday afternoon – the Charlie Hall Chase headlines at the latter.

👉 Newmarket stage their final Flat meeting of the season on Saturday.

👉 The Curragh stage their final Flat meeting of the season on Sunday.

👉 The Melbourne Cup takes place at 4am on Tuesday – Pro members get our special heads-up emailed on Monday lunchtime.

We have to be honest – it’s been so busy in the office with the Breeders’ Cup and Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, we’ve only had time to dig out one edge for Saturday involving ‘Storm Skelton’.

Dan Skelton (Trainer) 
✅ WETHERBY’S CHARLIE HALL CHASE MEETING

ℹ️ Skelton’s race-fit runners that appeared during the previous 30 days at this corresponding meeting produced 13 wins from 24 runs for a +£15 profit to £1 level stakes (last six seasons).

Saturday’s runners:

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Following in-form trainers is a wise approach at any point of the year, but never more so than right now as a new jumps season unfolds.

Here’s who’s been banging them in during the last seven days, including Friday afternoon’s results...

Featuring the latest big-race roll of honour alongside ten-year trends analysis, our ‘Super Trends’ reveal the key stats for all the big races.

Use these trends to find your selections, or if you’re short of time, check our shortlist below each race.

We’ve treated you to six TV races this time around.

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Shakeyatailfeather

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Take No Chances

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Queensbury Boy

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Handstands

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Heart Wood

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Morning Mayhem
🏅 Hamlet’s Night
🏅 Indemnity

With so much going on at the moment, from the jumps to the Flat, and from Kentucky to Melbourne, The Purist is having to put in the hours to keep up.

Here are The Purist’s thoughts for Saturday, including a bet at Wetherby…

The Breeders’ Cup isn’t an area I’ll be pretending to be an expert in this weekend – I’ll stick to the domestic stuff.

At Ascot, I will certainly be giving all of trainer Anthony Honeyball’s runners close inspection as he clearly has his team in good order, having sent out another winner on Thursday from a fairly small yard. Dance And Glance was denied his chase debut when Aintree was called off last Sunday, but can now get his season underway in Ascot’s 1.25. 

Up at Ayr, Donald McCain’s two runners are on my radar as the yard seems to be hitting form. From September 1 to October 26, the yard’s return was just 4 wins from 64 runners, but since Tuesday their form-figures now stand at: 3412152022023, including a trio that rattled the crossbar on Friday; one was a 100/1 shot.

Elsewhere, Wetherby stage their big Charlie Hall Chase meeting, where Dan Skelton unsurprisingly holds a strong hand. Several look short enough in the betting already, but there’s one horse I’ll be backing on unseasonably good ground tomorrow…

KOUKEO 1.10 Wetherby
Bet (on a scale of 1 to 3): ⭐ Each-Way (top three places)
Odds: 6/1

In a nutshell:

✅ Loves good ground
✅ Yard in excellent form
✅ Improvement expected from reappearance

In detail: 

The Jonjo & AJ O’Neill yard remain in terrific form, and Koukeo looks to have been aimed at this after blowing the cobwebs away on his return 16 days ago. He plugged on late at Fontwell that day, and has been dropped a generous 2lb to the mark he won off at the start of the year. He should come on plenty for that outing on drying ground he will love – he is 2 wins from 2 runs on good ground.

All set for Breeders’ Cup Saturday?

Day one takes place right now if you’re reading this on Friday evening.

And, if you’re reading this on Saturday, then day two takes place later in the evening.

If you’re a newbie, the Breeders’ Cup is an annual Stateside meeting where the best European horses fly out to tackle America’s finest in their own backyard – like golf’s Ryder Cup.

As a rule, the US dominate on dirt, while Europeans win more on turf.

The turf going is Firm.

So, get your ‘finger lickin’ chicken’ and popcorn ready, as we run through Saturday’s nine big Grade 1 events with our hard-and-fast guide.

Last 10 runnings: 
USA lead 10-0

Notes:
✅ Stall 8 or lower
✅ 3 to 5yos 
✅ Won over 7f

Pick: 
🇺🇲 R Disaster (Each-way)

Last 10 runnings:
USA lead Europe 8-2.

Notes:
✅ Won 2-4 times that season
✅ Stalls 2-10
✅ Non-favourite

Pick:
🇺🇲 Cy Fair (Each-way)

Last 10 runnings:
USA won the last 10 runnings.

Notes:
✅ 3 to 5yos
✅ Top-two last time
✅ Stalls 1 to 6

Pick:
🇺🇲 Chunk Of Gold (Each-way)

Last 10 runnings:

Europe lead 7-3.

Notes:
✅ Stalls 4 to 11
✅ Non-favourite
✅ Ran over 1m1f-1m3f

Pick:
🇪🇺 Precise (Win)

Last 10 runnings:
USA won the last 10 runnings.

Notes:
✅ Stalls 4 to 10
✅ Two+ 6f wins that season
✅  Ran at Keeneland, Saratoga or Santa Anita last time

Pick:
🇺🇲 Built (Each-way)

Last 10 runnings:
Europe lead USA 6-4

Notes:
✅ 3 to 5yos
✅ Trainer Charlie Appleby
✅ Ran at Keeneland or Longchamp last time

Pick:
🇪🇺 Lake Forest (Each-way)

Last 10 runnings:
USA lead 9-1.

Pick:
No bet

Last 10 runnings:
Europe lead USA 9-1

Notes:
✅ Won last time out
✅ Irish-bred (IRE)
✅ Non-Grade 2 race last time

Pick: 
🇪🇺 Diamond Necklace (Win)

Last 10 runnings:
USA lead 9-1.

Notes:
✅ First two in the betting
✅ Won 2-4 races that season
✅ Top-two finish last time

Pick:
🇺🇲 Sovereignty (Win)

Another jumper for your tracker.

Watery Borren (5yo)

Won his point race over 3m on soft ground, before making an impressive hurdles debut at Carlisle last week. He went off like Usain Bolt and never saw another rival, jumping well in the process and clocking a good time. Looks like the real deal.

Speaking to Coral in his weekly blog on Friday, in-form trainer Joe Tizzard said of No Way Jay (3.10 Ascot):

‘He’s schooled really well at home, and with the horses running really well, I’d be hopeful he will run a big race. I hope he might take some beating in a valuable novice hurdle.’

Could be one for your Saturday acca.

📌 The ante-post markets have come out for three of the biggest handicaps to come in November: Cheltenham’s Paddy Power Handicap Chase, Greatwood Hurdle and Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup (the ‘Hennessy’ for those with grey hair).

ITV: Ascot: 1.25, 2.00, 2.33, 3.43; Wetherby: 1.10, 1.45, 2.18, 2.55; Down Royal: 3.15; ITV4: Keeneland: 8.20, 8.58, 9.36, 10.16.

Next week it’s au revoir to the Flat season at Doncaster, where the November Handicap takes place.

We’ll give our early thoughts on that in Wednesday’s Midweek Paddock Report, along with early pointers for Aintree next Saturday – no storms forecast, thankfully.

Until then…

…keep ‘em peeled 👀

The Paddock Report Team.