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Trainer Kim Bailey regularly sends out some of his big guns at this time this of year, with the likes of Imperial Aura winning the Colin Parker at Carlisle just 12 months ago and Vinndication winning the London Gold Cup at the same point in the calendar in 2019.

His runners this weekend could be equally as good at Ascot and Carlisle, so we caught up with the Cotswold-based trainer to see how his runners could fare this Saturday and Sunday.

2:10 Ascot (Saturday) - London Handicap Hurdle - Ajero

"He'll like the better ground at Ascot. He's a bigger horse and has done very well over the summer so whatever he does at Ascot, he'll improve from, but we're happy with him."

2:45 Ascot (Saturday) - Ascot Byrne Group Handicap Chase - One For Rosie

"He had good form for Nigel Twiston-Davies on good ground. I'd prefer it to be another half-a-mile further on good ground, but it's very hard to find races for him. We were going to go to Wetherby, but I didn't trust the ground at Wetherby, so Ascot had good ground, they've had rain and we have to start them somewhere, so I thought it was a good place to start off."

3:20 Ascot (Saturday) - London Gold Cup Handicap Chase - Vinndication

"Yeah, looking forward to seeing him out. He seems in a very good place, but it seems like a very competitive race, running off top weight, but he likes Ascot and he's always run well at Ascot so fingers crossed he'll keep doing that.

"I very much hope he'll be back to top form over fences, we've done a lot of schooling with him. Laura Collett has been doing a lot of schooling with him. We still don't quite understand what happened in the Ladbrokes Chase last year, but whatever happened hopefully that is behind us, and we start off a new season on a track that he likes, so fingers crossed it all goes according to plan.

"It was always going to be the plan to go to Ascot (over Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby), because frankly when you've got a horse who has a preference for a racecourse and they like it, then you're better off going there."

5:05 Ascot (Saturday) - Ascot Round Table Open National Hunt Flat Race - Chianti Classico

"Not a lot know about him yet really. He won a point to point and the horse that was second in his point to point has come out and won a maiden hurdle in Ireland.

"He wouldn't be the fastest horse in the world, but he's the right type of horse and it will make a decision, depending on how he runs, as to whether we go hurdling or stay in bumpers. It looks a very competitive race, I see we even have a horse coming over from Germany."

2:00 Carlisle (Sunday) - Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase - Espoir De Romay

"He's a very nice horse. That was a very good run at Aintree last time, and the handicapper thinks he would have won, but who knows. We'll find out how good he is on Sunday, it will be a very competitive race. "


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