The Ladbroke at Ascot Racecourse

Aegean Dawn leads the antepost field for the Ladbroke, which unfolds this weekend at Ascot racecourse. The market is still settling down a bit as we await final declarations as several withdrawals have already happened.

The undefeated Nicky Henderson charge flourished over the Ascot surface during his last time out, which was in the Canaccord Genuity Handicap Hurdle back on November 19th. That score came on the heels of a conditional handicap hurdle victory just a week prior at Cheltenham. The Paul Murphy-owned five year-old is showing plenty of promise and he has been a force to be reckoned with since his debut at Kempton back in February of 2009. He’s hovering around 5/1 with most major bookmakers but can be spotted as low as 4/1.

Alan King’s Mille Chief was bested by Aegean Dawn that day at Ascot and he’s back for another kick at the can here. It looked as though Mille Chief just couldn’t find any extra on the run-in and if he had been deployed a little differently during that race, Wayne Hutchinson may have been able to find more. 8/1 looks a bit short on a contender who hasn’t won since last January on the Div II circuit when off at 2/9.

The interesting outside play could wind up being the six year-old Get Me Out of Here, who will be flying JP McManus’ colours. He came second to Menorah back in the Supreme Novices’ during the festival and his 2010/11 season has, so far, been a forgettable experience with two off the board finishes in his last two contests- one on the listed circuit and another in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle against Menorah once again. He does have an advantage against this field of having run against higher competition than many and his Grade 3 win at Newbury last February offers a glimpse of what he can do under the right circumstances. You’ll find him priced as high as 12/1.

In-form Tocca Ferro has taken two on the bounce since his seasonal debut in a course and distance score. His two victories during the 2010/11 National Hunt season came on the listed and conditions circuits and the last score, a victory at Newbury, was particularly impressive with Tocca Ferro delivering a 7/2 payday as the joint favourite.