Ascot tips for Saturday: Guest primed for International challenge

David Metcalf | July 22, 2016

Heaven’s Guest can complete International double

Heaven’s Guest has a solid record in big field handicaps and looks decent value to land back-to-backing runnings of the 7f International Stakes at Ascot (15.55).

Trained by Richard Fahey, the six-year-old is a tough and consistent sort who finished a fine fourth in the the 2014 running of the race before showing tremendous battling qualities to land the spoils 12 months ago by a head from Balty Boys off a mark off 103.

Heaven’s Guest is now able to race of just 1lb higher and comes into the contest having returned to form and finished runner-up in his last two starts.

In the last of those, the gelding stayed on strongly to go by a diminishing 3/4 of a length in the valuable 16-runner Bunbury Cup at Newmarket.

It was a cracking effort which showed Heaven’s Guest to be as good as ever and it looks as if Fahey has brought the son of Dark Angel nicely to the boil to be at his peak to defend his crown.

Von Blucher poised to follow-up

Von Blucher looked way ahead of the assessor when scoring last time out and can make light of a rise in the weights to follow-up in the 1m handicap (15.20).

The John Gosden trained colt shaped with promise when fourth on seasonal reappearance in the Esher Cup at Sandown, but looked a totally different proportion after an 11 week break when easily landing a competitive eight-runner handicap at Newmarket by 1 1/2 lengths from Silent Attack.