Ascot Stakes Heritage Handicap | Class 2 | 4YO plus Winner £56,694 - 32 entered to run  Last year’s race Winner: Ahorsewithnoname Jockey: William Buick Trainer: Nicky J Henderson Owner: Mr D J Burke & Mr P Alderson Age: 8 Weight: 9st 8lbs Starting Price: 7/1 Season Form Figures: Seasonal debut (Flat) Previous Best: 5th - Club Godolphin Cesarewitch (Heritage Handicap), Newmarket (October 2022) By Paul Jones Despite Reshoun winning at 66/1 three years ago, the Ascot Stakes has unquestionably the most punter-friendly handicap at the meeting with 13 of the last 15 winners sent off at no bigger than 14/1 and, in the last 34 years, as a many as 23 winners could be found in the first six in the betting. Half of the last 12 winners were trained in Ireland but they were not allowed to travel over for the 2020 running due to Covid regulation for non-Class 1 races so that reads even better. Willie Mullins has won four runnings since 2012 and has also saddled four runners-up including twice in the last three years. In fact, when Lagostovegas won six years ago, she led home a Mullins-trained 1-2-4-5. It was Nicky Henderson who landed the spoils last season with Ahorsewithnoname who was following up her victory at the Cheltenham Mares’ Day in April, thus becoming the fifth successful filly or mare in the last 16 years from low representation. Fillies/mares have also finished second in the last two of the last five runnings. It should be pointed out that virtually every trainer holds both a Flat and jumps licence but I like to concentrate on trainers better known for their jumps horses with Willie Mullins (x4), Nicky Henderson, Charles Byrnes, Jonjo O’Neill, David Pipe, Alan King, Suzy Smith, Paul Webber, Tony Martin (x2 and two more placed) and Jarlath Fahey all better known for jump racing taking this prize this century and Martin Pipe won it four times between 1993-2003. Ian Williams is equally adept at both codes and can also boast a couple of Ascot Stakes wins in the last five years. Last season’s winner, the runner-up in 2022 and 2021 plus the 1-2 in 2020 had been running over hurdles during the winter. The Ascot Stakes used to be very much a race in which to concentrate on four and five-year-olds but eight of the last ten winners were aged between six and nine (five of which were trained in Ireland). Prior to those Irish-trained victories, 15 of the previous 19 winners emerged from that 4-5 age bracket. Horses carrying less than 9st had been responsible for approximately 50% of the total runners between 1996-2008 but only won on three occasions but, in the last few years, the weights have been so much more compressed that very few horses have run off below 9st and the class acts are coming to the fore. The Grand Visir overcame top weight five years ago and three other winners going back to 2012 carried 9st 10lb. In 2020 the top weight, Verdana Blue, finished second under 9st 10lb with the second-top weight, Summer Moon, finishing third and last year it was a 1-2-3 for horses in the top six in the handicap. There are no strong individual race guides and there used to be a draw angle when there were bigger fields but I didn’t think that would be case after the safety factor was cut from 30 to 20. However, of late low numbers have fared best with five of the last eight winners drawn no higher than stall 7, notably in 2022 when the 1-2-3-4 emerged from the seven lowest stalls and the first six were drawn no higher than 11 in 2021. Positives Trained by a primarily jumps-based stable  Trained in Ireland (notably by Willie Mullins)  Starting in the first six in the betting Drawn in the lower half (preferably lower third) Mares Negatives British-trained contenders aged older than five Likely to be sent off 14/1 or bigger