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Paul Ferguson has two selections for us on Saturday; Penhill in the 2.00 at Ascot and Mckensie’s Friend in the Warwick 8.25. Compare odds and bet.

A smart three-year-old last season for James Bethell Penhill (2:00) is taken to make a winning debut for the in-form Luca Cumani yard in the Ascot opener on Saturday.

The Mount Nelson gelding was a hugely impressive winner of the Ripon Bell-Ringer last summer, having won at Thirsk the time before, and he went on to run a sound sixth in the Melrose at York before his form tailed off a little.

That didn’t prevent Tony Bloom paying 230,000gns for him last October and he can start to repay that hefty price tag here. No doubt connections will be hoping he progresses this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cumani were already working backwards from the Ebor in August.

Warwick’s evening meeting concludes with what looks a particularly interesting bumper, in which Mckenzie’s Friend (8:25) sets the standard for Oliver Sherwood and Leighton Aspell.

The Flemensfirth gelding ran a blinder on debut, in the valuable DBS spring sales race at Newbury in March, going down by just a head in the end, to a well-regarded sort in The Unit. If he steps up on that effort, it will take a nice horse to stop this four-year-old.

Saturday’s selections:
2:00 Ascot: Penhill; 11/4 Stan James
8:25 Warwick: Mckenzie’s Friend; 11/4 Stan James

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