Andrew Asquith backs High Degree and Thunder Call in Itv Guide
Andrew Asquith’s itv guide puts two 8/1 shots in play for Saturday, with High Degree at Sandown and Thunder Call at York. The pair give bettors a clear split across two meetings, and Sandown’s soft side of good ground, with more rain forecast, adds a live variable to the first pick.
High Degree at Sandown
High Degree is Asquith’s choice for the Read Meg Nicholls Blog BetMGM Handicap at Sandown, where he was priced at 8/1. William Haggas trains him, and the horse has won once in a short career so far, landing at Ffos Las just under a year ago before a recent return run at Newbury after being gelded.
The 1pt e.w. angle fits the profile of a horse still on the way up rather than one with a long record to lean on. If he wins and gets a penalty, he could go to the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot next week, which gives this race a direct path into a bigger handicap target.
Thunder Call at York
Thunder Call is Asquith’s York selection for the Macmillan Sprint Handicap, also at 8/1. He won a six-furlong maiden at Kempton last month, a sharper recent marker than the first-day evidence, because he was all at sea on his debut last year.
His pedigree adds another layer. Thunder Call is closely related to Skardu, who won the Craven Stakes, finished third in the 2000 Guineas, and also hit the frame in the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes. That sort of family line is not a guarantee, but it does give the York pick a more solid ceiling than a simple maiden winner might suggest.
Two meetings, one column
Asquith’s return with his ante-post column gave the day a straightforward betting map: one runner at Sandown and one at York, both at the same 8/1 quote. For readers following the card, the practical edge is clear enough — a horse in form, a horse with pedigree support, and a track-specific ground note at Sandown that could move the needle if the rain arrives.
The tighter read is that High Degree looks the more conditional play because of the ground and the penalty path, while Thunder Call arrives with the cleaner recent winning form. That makes the Saturday split useful rather than decorative: one selection leans on upside, the other on a more recent proof point.
