Lambourn trainer Jamie Snowden continues to enjoy a stellar season in which he has landed some big-race prizes. His general statistics are impressive too: 62 winners from just 218 runners for a strike rate of 28 per cent.

Snowden has plenty of interesting runners at Ascot and Windsor this weekend and I would be surprised if he did not have a winner or two over the next three days. One of his Ascot runners tomorrow, in the in the BetMGM Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle (2.53 p.m.), is MARCHE D’ALIGRE who looks overpriced even though this is a competitive contest.

This five-year-old gelding was backed into favouritism last month for a handicap hurdle at Sandown and, although he was only second that day, his run can be upgraded given he made a terrible hash of the third obstacle. That seemed to affect his confidence and so to go so close to winning nevertheless was a big plus.

I would be surprised if Marche D’Aligre could not land a decent prize off his current official mark of 122 and, hopefully, with the talented Gavin Sheehan in the saddle, that will be tomorrow. Back him 1 point each way at 11-1 with Ladbrokes, paying three places.

The front three in the market, Came From Nowhere, Surrey Lord and Faivoir, are probably the main dangers but this is an open race in which even the outsider of the field Metier has a shout if the ground is soft or worse.

There are plenty of small fields again this weekend and it is disappointing to see just seven runners declared........

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