National Hunt action from Ascot

Jonjo O’Neill, hit by a heavy fine over the running and riding of two of his horses last weekend, should recover his losses with a profit at Ascot on Saturday when he saddles Giocomo and Carbury Cross.

The Jackdaws Castle trainer, the only man to have ridden and trained 100 winners in a season, had to pay a total of £4,200 after the local stewards found that Madalyar and Gala Performance were not run on their merits.

Despite this hiccup, the O’Neill horses have been on fire this winter and victories for Giocomo in the Ladbroke Hurdle and Carbury Cross in the cantorsport Silver Cup will set up the stable for the busy Christmas period ahead next week.

Giocomo hit the target with a Chepstow win at the beginning of the month and now he’s struck form is worth following,even in this competitive £100,000 handicap.

Holy Orders, from the Irish stable of Willie Mullins, has been the big gamble of the race, while Martin Pipe runs four Polar Red, Mr Cool, Benardon and Idaho d’Ox.

CarburyCross was still there with a chance at the last in the Hennessy Gold Cup until weakening into sixth place.

The cantorindex.co.uk Handicap Chase provides Young Devereux, representing the Paul Nicholls-Ruby Walsh combination, with a great chance of upsetting A P McCoy’s mount, Seebald, owned by England footballers Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman.

Henry Daly’s Palarshan, in the novice chase, and the Francois Doumen-trained Krach, in the novice hurdle, are the business in their respective races.