2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Preview

We managed to land a lovely winner with Deep Cave on Grand National day at 33s. Senior Chief just missed place money for us in the big one but Beauport did too much too soon and faded. We have a nice mix of flat and jumping action this weekend, check out Dave Stevos’ 2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday tips below.

1.10 Ayr – Scotty Brand Handicap Chase (Premier)

I was absolutely gutted when Tommy’s Oscar unseated at Aintree last week. He was moving into the race nicely and it was a very uncharacteristic error. He is turned out again quickly here in a bid to repeat his win in this last year. However, he’s just 9/2 so he’s too short for the blog but I’ll be cheering him on and I hope he wins.

Of those at bigger prices, Malystic makes most appeal and he’s on a very tempting mark if he is on a going day. However, he isn’t the most reliable and the fact that he wears cheekpieces for the first time at 11 years old kind of sums him up. Odds of 12/1 aren’t enough to tempt me. No bet.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: No bet

1.25 Newbury – John Porter Stakes (Group 3)

Sunway ran some excellent races in defeat at the top table last season and he is going to be tough to beat now dropped back in class for his seasonal reappearance. Ancient Wisdom and Bellum Justum look the biggest dangers but they have been priced up accordingly.

We landed a nice win with Divinia Grace last season but this looks a tough task for her on her first run back since joining Andrew Balding from Rae Guest. With just two places on offer, this is another race I’ll just be watching with a view to the future. No bet.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: No Bet

1.43 Ayr – Novices’ Champion Handicap Chase (Class 2)

Unfortunately, I am struggling to find any angles with the longer priced contenders in this race. Ideal Des Bordes is best going right handed and has had a wind-op so he makes limited appeal. Lord Of Thunder needs much softer ground than this and Theformismighty has stamina to prove upped to this trip for the first time.

He did win a 3m point to point but he weakened tamely when trying 2m6f at Newbury three runs back and his best form on the racetrack has come over 2m4f. Dan Skelton has won this twice before too but both his previous winners had won over 3m previously.

There’s no point in backing one at big odds for the sake of it so we will move on. No bet again.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: No bet

2.00 Newbury – Fred Darling Stakes (Group 3)

At long last, a big field for us to get stuck into. The one I am taking a chance on here at a nice working man’s price is the Eve Johnson Houghton trained Betty Clover. She’s only rated 97 officially, so she has a lot to find on paper with the likes of Simmering (111), Heavens Gate (107) and a few more that are rated 100+. However, I think she’s a 100+ filly all day and if she had a bit more luck last year, she probably would be rated in the 100s.

At Ascot last July she was beaten a neck in a 6f Group 3 by….Simmering. She is the current 11/4 fav here, Betty Clover is 28s. Betty admittedly ran poorly at York on her next start when ridden more positively than usual but it was a much better effort on her final start of 2024 in the G3 Dick Poole at Salisbury (6f, good to soft).

She missed the break that day and with 2f to go, she was still last behind a wall of horses on the inside. Georgia Dobie switched wide to find a gap but by the time she got daylight, the leaders had flown. She did stay on pretty well to finish best of the rest in fourth and on that evidence, 7f is well worth trying. Her pedigree suggests it is worth a go too.

Fast ground is ideal for this daughter of Time Test and I think she’ll be suited by being held up off the pace in this big field. If those tactics are employed, a degree of luck will be required but with odds of 28/1 on offer, it is worth taking the risk.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: Betty Clover e/w @ 28/1 (4 places)

2.15 Ayr – Scottish Champion Hurdle (Grade 2)

Ethical Diamond and Bunting spearhead a strong Willie Mullins’ team here and it would be no surprise if he landed the forecast. Dan Skelton relies on Valgrand, who should appreciate the drying ground. However, Adrian Keatley likes to target races at this track and his son of Harbour Watch, Kihavah, has been overlooked by the bookies.

This smart dual-purpose gelding is rated 101 on the flat. He earned that rating by winning a 1m5f handicap at this venue off 97 last September. His form figures at this venue 54411, though it must be said that his two previous runs over timber here were below par.

Better Horse Now

However, those runs came in 2022 and 2023 and he is simply a much better horse now. He found just Rubaud too good in a Listed hurdle at Kempton in October and on his last start over timber in the Grade 1 fighting fifth at Newcastle, he finished a respectable third behind Sir Gino and Lump Sum.

On those two runs he ought to be able to be competitive off a mark of 139 and the more the ground dries out, the better it will be for him. Brian Hughes is 1/1 on him and while there is a chance he might need the run, I am hoping Keatley has him plenty fit enough for his return to action at a venue he likes. At odds of 12/1, a small e/w interest on Kihavah is advised.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: Kihavah e/w @ 12/1 (4 places)

2.35 Newbury – Greenham Stakes (Group 3)

If Rashabar is fully fit and ready to rock on his return he’s going to be hard to beat. He’s the top rated and he pushed Camille Pissarro all the way over this trip on his final start of 2024.

At bigger odds, I was looking at Noble Champion earlier in the week when he was 25s but that ship has flown. Instead, I am going to take a chance on the Amo horse, Diablo Rojo. An impressive winner on fast ground over 6f on debut at Redcar last July, he then disappointed when upped in class and trip in a York Group 3 in August.

Wind Issues

However, he must have had issues with his breathing that day because it turned out to be his last start of 2024 and he had a wind operation during his absence. He returned to action in a first-time tongue tie at Lingfield last month and won that 6f novice in admittedly workmanlike fashion. I’m not sure that surface suited him though and I am looking forward to seeing him back on quick turf.

He’s bred to stay 7f. He’s a half-brother to a 1m2f winner, he’s closely related to G2 mile winner San Donato and his sire won multiple Group 1s at 7f. Diablo Rojo has a fitness edge over most of his rivals too so at odds of 16/1, he is the each way selection.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: Diablo Rojo e/w @ 16/ 1 NB

2.55 Ayr – Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)

None of the outsiders are jumping off the page here. We backed Pinot Rouge at long odds when she won at Doncaster last season but she probably wants softer ground. We missed the boat with Lavida Adiva last time and she could be ahead of the handicapper and the Willie Mullins’ raider Armed And Fabulous is also interesting up in trip but they are all too short for the blog. No bet.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: No Bet

3.12 Newbury – Spring Cup Handicap (Class 2)

I have tipped up Son a number of times in the past and I think he is more than capable of going close in this race off a mark of 98. He has some rock solid pattern form in the book, such as his 2.5l fifth in the Royal Lodge in 2023 and his 1.5l fourth in the Greenham at this meeting last year.

That was his second good run at this venue. He won his maiden over 6.5f here as a 2yo so clearly, this track suits him well. Now, his form did tail off last season and he disappointed in his first handicap at Goodwood but he lost a shoe and the 1m2f trip may have stretched him.

The son of Too Darn Hot has been gelded in the off-season and he returns with his yard in decent form. Hopefully Richard Hannon has him fit for his seasonal comeback and if he does, Son is capable of hitting the frame here at odds of 12/1.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: Son e/w @ 12/1 (4 places)

3.35 Ayr – Scottish Grand National Handicap Chase (Premier)

As open a race as ever. The one that appeals most at a nice big price is an Irish raider and it isn’t one of Willie Mullins’. In 2023 Flash De Touzaine ran a cracker in this contest on good ground, staying on well for third behind Kitty’s Light and just missing out on second by a neck. He was running off 130 that day and he’s back to try again off 1lb lower.

He warmed up for this with a win at Limerick off 122, a race he needed to win to ensure he got a run here. That win came on good ground and that is the surface he needs to show his best. His form figures in chases with good in the ground description read 4132 and even though he is a 10yo, he is relatively unexposed at marathon trips on a sound surface.

It looks like he has been trained for this and Sean Flanagan has won on him before. He comes into the race somewhat under the radar thanks to the Willie Mullins v Dan Skelton scenario but this horse should not be discounted and at odds of 25/1, he looks well worth chancing e/w.

2025 Ayr & Newbury Saturday Tip: Flash De Touzaine e/w @ 25/1 (6 places) NAP

-DaveStevos