2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tips

We had a great day on Sunday at Leopardstown but this week hasn’t gone so well. Our William Hill Hurdle fancy wasn’t declared on Thursday and our ante-post bets went down the swanee. Hopefully we can get back on track, Dave Stevos’ 2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tips are below. Dave also posted a Champion Chase Stats That Matter preview earlier this week, click here to read that.

1.50 Newbury – Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)

First of all, everyone on the TX team sends their thoughts and prayers to Michael O’Sullivan and his family. Incidents like yesterday’s serve as a reminder to all of us how brave jockeys are and what a dangerous sport this can be at times. Hopefully Michael makes a full recovery.

The opener on ITV on Saturday is this 3m, class 3 handicap hurdle. I was going to swerve this race but after much deliberation, I have decided to take a chance on The Four Sixes at around 20/1. Trained by in-form Olly Murphy, this son of Westerner has failed to complete three of his last four starts. Hardly an inspiring statistic, but two of those non-completions came over fences and the other came on a right handed track.

Best Going Left Handed

Admittedly, this lad did win his first race at Clonmel when he was trained by Gordon Elliott, a right handed track, but apart from that his form figures going that way round read P7FP. Going left handed over hurdles his form figures read 41322.

His last start in this sphere saw him finish a 1.5l second in a class 2 handicap at Ayr and he is just 2lb higher here in this lower grade. The forecast rain won’t be an issue, James Bowen gets the leg up for the first time and if he can conjure up a clear round of jumping, hopefully The Four Sixes can hit the frame at odds of 20/1.

2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tip: The Four Sixes e/w @ 20/1 (4 places) NB

2.05 Warwick – Kingmaker Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)

Just four runners and on ratings it looks a match between L’Eau du Sud and Rubaud. We backed Tedley to no avail on his last run at Ascot and he won’t mind this drop back in trip but surely, connections will be aiming to plunder a nice handicap pot with him given his current mark. The fav probably wins, no bet.

2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tip: No Bet

2.25 Newbury – Denman Chase (Grade 2)     

Eight runners here and quite a few come into the race with questions to answer, none more so than the 5/2 market leader Bravemansgame. Since his promising return behind The Real Whacker at Wetherby in November he has finished well beaten twice, albeit in Grade 1 company, at Haydock and Kempton.

Dropping in class is a plus, he is 3/3 at the track (twice over hurdles) and if he is ever going to regain the winning thread, it will likely be here. However, the fact that the tongue tie is now reached for does not inspire confidence and at the prices, he looks worth taking on.

If Djelo can reproduce the form he showed when easily beating Protektorat, he could be hard to beat. Consistency isn’t his strong suit, however, as he proved when finishing 23l behind that same rival at Windsor last month. Hitman gets called a lot of names, not many of them complimentary, but I like him as a horse. When he has his conditions he’s usually thereabouts, he shaped very nicely the last day and this could be his big chance to gain an overdue win.

2022 Winner

However, the one I’ll take a chance on in the hope that the return to this venue sparks a revival is the 11yo, Eldorado Allen. The 2022 winner of this contest, he hasn’t won in seventeen starts since but he has run well in defeat on many occasions, including in his first two runs of this season.

Last time out at Market Rasen he was disappointing but I’m not sure that track played to his strengths. He previously ran a nice race at Cheltenham carrying 12 stone and the runner up, to whom he was conceding 19lbs, beat Sam Brown on his next start so the form is decent. Clearly, he isn’t the force of old but if he can repeat that Cheltenham run, it might be enough to sneak a place here at odds of 16/1.

2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tip: Eldorado Allen e/w @ 16/1

2.40 Warwick – Mares’ Hurdle (Listed)

It is hard to see past the 145 rated Gala Marceau for this Listed race. Her 7l second behind Lossiemouth at Punchestown is the best form on offer here and if she is fit and ready after her absence, she’ll be a tough nut to crack. West Balboa and You Were It Well are next best in the betting but they haven exactly been setting the world alight so far this season.

I was very tempted to put Royale Margaux up and if there were three places on offer, I definitely would. She’s in form, she finished well ahead of West Balboa last time (albeit in receipt of a stone) and I’d imagine she’ll be ridden to try and pick up some black type. She’s probably capable of getting third but second might just be beyond her. No bet.

2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tip: No bet

3.00 Newbury – Game Spirit Chase (Grade 2)

The defection of Sir Gino on Friday morning has completely changed the complexion of this race. I am a big Matata fan and we backed him in the Arkle last year when he finished fourth. He’s a bold jumping front runner and if he gets loose on the lead here, he’ll be hard to peg back.

Libberty Hunter is also a nice horse but whether he’ll be able to reel in Matata is questionable. If they revert to front running tactics with Edwardstone and he takes on Matata for the early lead, it might set up for the Welsh raider but I’m not sure Edwardstone has the legs to go that fast early nowadays.

Master Chewy has a big day in him at some stage and he can’t be totally discounted and JPR One is another one that has to be considered, especially if they go too hard early. I’d probably just side with Matata but there’s not much juice in his odds of 2/1. No bet.

2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tip: No Bet

3.15 Warwick – Veterans’ Handicap Chase (Class 2)

Fugitif’s first preference is seemingly Newbury so there’ll be a hefty rule 4 when he’s taken out of this. Straw Fan Jack was due to run at Kempton on Friday too so this will likely end up being a two place race for e/w players. Smarty Wild landed a place for us in a similar race to this last time and he’d be my idea of the most likely winner but odds of 7/1 are too short for the blog. No bet.

2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tip: No bet

3.35 Newbury – William Hill Handicap Hurdle (Premier)

I really fancied Spirits Bay for this but unfortunately, he wasn’t declared and we did our money. The Twiston-Davies team rely on Josh The Boss now and if he got back to the form he showed when winning at Chepstow he might have a chance.

However, the one I’ll take a punt on instead is Beat The Bat for Harry Fry with Bryan Carver in the plate. He ran a nice race on his return to action after almost a year off in a decent handicap at Haydock (19f, soft) back in November, beaten 3l into second off 132.

He raced too keenly dropped back to 16f at Windsor three weeks ago and those two runs should have left him spot on for a crack at this prize.

In November 2023 this son of Walk In The Park was beaten 2.75l by Dysart Enos at Cheltenham (17f, soft), to whom he was conceding 7lb. She is rated 135 now and so is Beat The Bat, who got a 3lb hike for his fine effort at Haydock.

It will only be his third handicap start today and this will be just his sixth run over hurdles so it’s unlikely we’ve seen the best of him yet and a strongly run race at this track might really suit him. At odds of 25/1, Beat The Bat is the e/w selection.

2025 Newbury & Warwick Saturday Tip: Beat The Bat e/w @ 25/1 (5 places) NAP

-DaveStevos