Ascot Placepot tips: Paul Kealy's picks for the £100,000 guaranteed pool

Ascot's opening handicap (2.12) looks as tough as any on the card, so it might pay to go with a few for Placepot purposes.

Beau Jardine has been out of the frame only once on bad ground and, while that was last time, I can forgive a poor run at Epsom. Diffident Spirit is another soft-ground performer, albeit with a potentially tricky draw, and the most obvious one to include is Shaladar, a good second here last time.

I'm not totally sold on Hutchence's stamina in bad ground for the next (2.47), so will go with soft-ground performer Wind Your Neck In and the potentially well-treated Officer Of State.

There isn't that much to go on in the third (3.22) but Fireblade showed promise on his all-weather debut last month and it won't be a surprise if this brother to dual Champion Stakes winner Cracksman relishes the track and ground.

Go Daddy is the one to beat in the fourth (3.57) and, with Tabletalk needing to prove himself on the ground, the second selection is soft-ground winner Subsequent.

Baradar is the main fancy for the sprint handicap (4.30). While course specialist Rohaan has to be feared, his draw is off-putting, so Never So Brave is next best.

I'm not sure about the draw for hot favouite Tareefa in the last (5.05), while next to her is Ebt's Guard, who is probably flattered by his sixth in the Cambridgeshire given it was such a draw race.

Most of the fancied runners are drawn low, but I'll be throwing in the higher-drawn Dashing Roger, Pearl Eye and Thyer.

Ascot Placepot perm

2.12
1 Shaladar
9 Diffident Spirit
12 Beau Jardine

2.47
2 Officer Of State
4 Wind Your Neck In

3.22
4 Fireblade

3.57
1 Go Daddy
3 Subsequent

4.30
2 Never So Brave
5 Baradar

5.05
2 Dashing Roger
4 Pearl Eye
12 Thyer

3 x 2 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 3 = 72 lines

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