2025 International Handicap Betting Odds at Ascot racecourse

Saturday, 26 July 2025

The International Handicap at Ascot attracts plenty of quality runners, with More Thunder, Aalto and Arabian Story among the leading contenders. The former has a solid winning track record and the William Haggas-trained four-year-old could be a solid contender. Aalto was runner-up last time and the Ian Williams-trained charge could be a good each-way play.

Classic is another horse that catches the eye, with the runner having bagged a victory last time out and looking to build on that success. Skukuza is also one for the shortlist, with Ed Dunlop training a four-year-old who has run well in the previous two outings. Fifth Column has also gone well in recent encounters.

2025 International Handicap Betting Tips

Is More Thunder an each-way bet to nothing in the International Handicap? The four-year-old was able to score at Newmarket out of a dozen runners a few weeks ago. The horse was sent off as the 6/5 favourite in the bet365 Bunbury Cup when obliging by a nose. This came after a quality performance in the Royal Ascot meeting when being runner-up.

That came when being sent off as the 3/1 market leader in the Wokingham Stakes, with 28/1 outsider Get It pipping the horse on that occasion. This came after successive appearances at Newmarket where a victory was snared both times. Aalto wasn’t far off More Thunder in a previous appearance and we could see a big effort here.

That came after a disappointing display at Newmarket when finishing second last. Arabian Story is a younger adversary which was second last in the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket, with this coming after a win in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot. It was a quality effort that came over the distance of one mile.

Classic is a five-year-old with the potential to go well for Richard Hannon, with that being a victory at Sandown Park in early July. That came in the Coral Challenge over a mile, with that following a second-placed finish at the same track. Skukuza was a winner at the Curragh in late June and will now be bidding for a third successive triumph.