Horse Racing Tips: Ed Quigley's Ascot Best Bets for Saturday, 31 October

What a weekend we have in store. There's plenty of Jumps action for fans to get stuck into. Wetherby's Charlie Hall Chase is always a meeting to pay plenty of attention to, but we also have some really competitive action at Ascot, and then a terrific afternoon of Racing at Down Royal for us to enjoy, where we have multiple Grade 1 and Cheltenham Festival winners at the meeting.

No doubt there will be some reputations simultaneously enhanced and dented on the back of some high-calibre races. If that isn't enough, international eyes will be on the Breeders' Cup in Kentucky, where a strong European challenge is heading to Keeneland. All in all, it is a Saturday to look forward to, with something for everyone.

Saturday's horse racing tips for 31 October include Down Royal, Wetherby, and Ascot best bets.

Ascot Best Bet for Saturday: Henry's Friend at Ascot (2.33pm)

My horse racing tips for Saturday begin with the 2.33pm race at Ascot.

The Ben Pauling team are yet to really get going as we head towards November, but they look to have a cracking chance of last year's winner, HENRY'S FRIEND, repeating the dose of 12 months ago. The 9-year-old disappointed at Sandown at the back end of last season, but won this first-time out last season, so catching him fresh looks like a good ploy.

The gelding has had a wind operation since last seen, and one would imagine he will be fully revved up for this encounter as he comes here to defend his crown. With two Course and Distance wins to his name, he comes alive on this track and must be taken seriously here. From a weights-and-measures point of view, he is right in the shake-up here: he won this race last year off a BHA rating of 143 and, remarkably, gets into this year's renewal off a 1lb lower mark. Kielan Woods takes the ride, and this combination looks to have rock-solid each-way claims heading into this encounter once again.

Next Best Horse Bet for Saturday: Romeo Coolio at Down Royal (3.15pm)

My next best horse racing tip takes us to Down Royal for the 3.15pm race.

It looks like an absolute belter on paper, with some big names in the staying chase scene locking horns in what should be a great race in itself, but also hugely informative for the rest of the season. What is always hard to gauge is the fitness of these contenders, with many making their seasonal reappearance. So how much of the race it will take to shake off the ring rust is anyone's guess.

Listening to comments from connections can be as good a guide as any, and I think that ROMEO COOLIO will be fired up for this. The Elliott team wants to establish whether Romeo Coolio is a King George horse, and this looks like the perfect opportunity to find out. A few others may be using this race as a springboard to other targets, but given Romeo Coolio's exceptional first-time-out record, I think he will be in tip-top condition here. They could have gone the 2m4f path elsewhere on the card, but they want to test his credentials over this longer trip. I have always thought an 'easy' three miles would suit the 7-year-old, and this assignment looks tailor-made for him before he heads to the Sunbury Venue on 26 December. He is a three-time Grade 1 winner over fences, and you can forgive his disappointment at the Cheltenham Festival, where a bad jumping error 4 fences from home knocked the stuffing out of him.

We should learn a lot more from this, but I will be siding with Romeo Coolio here.

More Horse Racing Predictions

If you're looking for more horse racing tips, Strong Leader appears to be at his best on a Flat track, and the defending champion will be back for more glory for the Olly Murphy team, who are in scintillating form at the moment. Strong Leader is a strong stayer and should be involved at the business end of proceedings once again.

Elsewhere, Down Royal has an excellent-looking Grade 2, where Koktail Divin can prove a classer at 3.50. The Henry de Bromhead-trained representative appears to really enjoy the intermediate trip, and can land this before tackling tougher company. Longer term, I can see Koktail Divin becoming a serious challenger for the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Ed Quigley's Wetherby, Down Royal & Ascot Horse Racing Tips for Saturday

Here are my horse racing best bets for a selection of key races on today's cards.

• Wetherby 1.45pm - Kateira (11/10, bet365)
• Ascot 2pm - Vanderpoel (5/1, bet365)
• Wetherby 2.18pm - Strong Leader (137/100, bet365)
• Ascot 2.33pm - Henry's Friend (7/1, bet365)
• Down Royal 3.15pm - Romeo Coolio (4/1, bet365)
• Ascot 3.43pm - Rightsotom (20/1, bet365)
• Down Royal 3.50pm - Koktail Divin (10/11, bet365)

*All prices are correct as of Saturday, 31 October 2026, via bet365.