The cold and wet weather experienced in large parts of Britain over the last month inevitably means inspections at racecourses up and down the country before Saturday’s racing. Connections of many horses will be holding their breath and hoping their charges get a chance to run at Newbury and Newcastle where the early signs are positive about racing going ahead.
Punters will also hope that both cards get the go ahead as there are some high quality contests in prospect. The ITV cameras will be in attendance at both tracks and we’ve picked out the best bets from the six scheduled live TV races for you below.
Newbury
Newbury hosts its Winter Carnival this weekend. The two-day meeting ends on Saturday where the Ladbrokes Trophy is the main draw.
The supporting card is strong in its own right though with each of the four races covered by ITV Racing providing bags of betting opportunity.
1:50pm Get Your Ladbrokes £1 Free Bet Today Handicap
The first ITV Race from Newbury comes in the shape of a 2m4½f handicap. A full complement of 20 horses look set to run in this Class 2 in which 10 hurdles must be safely negotiated before a stamina-sapping run to home on soft ground. This is a relatively young race so trends are a little thin on the ground but it has paid to focus on the top of the market previously and that should be the case once more.
Previous winners have come into the race with high expectations about them which is the case this time around with Downtown Getaway. Nicky Henderson’s six-year-old had a solid novice hurdling campaign last season and is poised to make more strides forward in the coming months. If everything goes to plan, he may well begin his season with a win at 6/1 with Ladbrokes.
2:25pm Ladbrokes “Where The Nation Plays” Intermediate Hurdle
Next up is a very competitive renewal of the Intermediate Hurdle, a Listed handicap open to horses with a maximum official rating of 155. The head of the market tends to have this race sewn up and punters have lent their support to the likes of Epatante (9/2) and Elvis Mail (6/1) who are both deserving of their prominent position in the betting.
There isn’t really a standout option in the betting though so this is a chance to land a nice return from an each way play. In that regard it is tough to ignore the 14/1 available on Fanfan Du Seuil. Tom George’s four-year-old got his season underway with a decent enough run at Ayr where he just ran out of steam in the closing stages. He’s entitled to come on for that and looks well handicapped so a place is by no means out of the question.
3:00pm Ladbrokes Trophy
The Ladbrokes Trophy is the feature race of the two-day Winter Carnival at Newbury. Still known by many as the Hennessy (sponsorship changed a few years ago now), this is a hugely prestigious race which has been won by several horses who went on to run well in the biggest chases of the season. We don’t always have horses of the quality of previous winners such as Denman, Bobs Worth or Native River in the field for the race though and it’s in those years where the race is arguably even more interesting from a betting perspective.
It’s fair to say that this year’s Ladbrokes Trophy lacks an out and out star. That should have punters taking a good look at the value available which could be best provided by De Rasher Counter at 12/1 with Coral. Emma Lavelle’s seven-year-old is tailor made for this race. He’ll make the most of his tall frame to navigate the 21 fences laid out in this 3m2f contest whilst he has ample stamina for the trip and testing conditions. De Rasher Counter’s prep saw him come through a hurdle contest unscathed so it is all systems go for a potentially huge payday for connections and punters alike.
3:40pm Ladbrokes Handicap Chase
Newbury’s Saturday card comes to an end with the Ladbrokes Handicap Chase, a 2m½f contest open to horses rated 150 and below. The trends show that horses who have already won a chase in the UK over this trip or longer and those in the top five or six in the betting should be favoured for this one.
Chesterfield fits that bill narrowly, being as his only chasing win came when facing just two opponents at Kempton a year ago. That was his final appearance of a curtailed campaign last season and he only made his reappearance earlier this month in a flat race at Windsor. Seamus Mullins’ nine-year-old made his chasing return just four days later when he finished second at Carlisle. That result was highly fortuitous as the front two came down at the last but his jumping was smart enough and he should make further improvement so the 8/1 available is tempting enough.
Newcastle
The weather at this time of year often provides a real challenge to those involved in putting horse racing on. The ground staff at Newcastle certainly have their work cut out to ensure Saturday’s card goes ahead with an inspection planned for early in the morning. The forecast is good for Friday and Saturday though, so things are looking positive.
Providing the ground gets the ok, we have a couple of cracking races ahead with the return of Buveur D’Air in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the ultra-competitive Rehearsal Chase.
2:05pm Fighting Fifth Hurdle
The last season was a mixed campaign for the former king of hurdling, Buveur D’Air. Nicky Henderson’s charge looked imperious at times but also made some uncharacteristic mistakes in big races including falling when trying to win the Champion Hurdle for a third year in a row. A shot at redemption at Cheltenham is surely in the plans for this powerful and popular eight-year-old and that road begins on Saturday in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
Buveur D’Air started his last two seasons with victory in this race and there is little reason to doubt his claims this time around. Obviously, a horse of his calibre is the clearest of favourites and the best price you’ll get about him is the 2/5 that bet365 are quoting. With such a small field challenging him and his ability to run very well when fresh off a break, it makes little sense to oppose Buveur D’Air in what is a very important Grade 1.
3:20pm Rehearsal Handicap Steeple Chase
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle may be the big race of the day at Newcastle but the Rehearsal Handicap always does a good job cast in a supporting role and we have an excellent renewal ahead of us on Saturday. A full complement of 18 horses are set to go to post for a crack at this 2m7½f Listed chase. With 19 fences to be negotiated and heavy ground to run on, the winner will very much earn the £40,000 first prize on offer. Punters can also win big from the Rehearsal Chase which has only been won by the favourite twice in the last 10 years.
Last year’s winner, Lake View Lad, is one of those who is attractive at the prices. The nine-year-old is available at a tempting 7/1 with BetVictor but preference goes to Captain Redbeard at 10/1 with BetVictor.
After completing the Grand National last year, the 10-year-old may well be aimed at return to Aintree and will prove popular there if so. He has ample stamina for that trip so will be fine with just shy of 3m at Newcastle even on heavy ground. Providing everything is smooth with his jumping, Captain Redbeard can provide a nice return to punters.