Newbury Friday Racing Tips and Preview – DS
Newbury Friday Racing Tips and Preview
We finished off last weekend with a lovely winner and a nice place. Darrens Hope did exactly what I had hoped he would, making all to win at 40s. Gustavian wasn’t off a yard but stayed on nicely for 4th, back him next time out. The exact same sentiment applies to Winter Carnival. Milanford pulled up and he is best left alone for now. Time Marches On was given an extremely poor ride but at least Petticoat Lucy nicked place money at 33s. Dave Stevos has another busy weekend ahead, get his Newbury Friday racing tips below.
1.20 – Novices’ Hurdle (Class 3)
Only two of today’s live races has more than 8 runners, and one of those is this class 3 novice. The ground description at Newbury is currently good to soft but unfortunately, no matter what the ground was like I would struggle to fancy one of the outsiders in this contest. In saying that, the 9/4 favourite Russian Ruler doesn’t look bulletproof. He is having his first run back of the season, his first run after a wind op and his first run over 20f. He has decent form but 9/4? I’m not sure I’d be steaming in at those odds.
The second fav Stay Away Fay is also coming here after a wind op. A P2P winner, he also sports a tongue tie so his wind must have been rotten. Heezer Geezer probably represents a bit of value at 4/1 against the top two. A bumper winner, he ran a blinder at Ascot last month and he has a race sharpness edge. So does Egbert, while I’d Like To Know showed plenty of ability when making a winning start over hurdle at Worcester. Carrying a 6lb penalty might be tough though. There’ll be better betting opportunities over the next couple of days than this race. No bet.
Newbury Friday Racing Tips: No Bet
1.55 – Berkshire Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)
On Sunday, I had to do a double take when I saw Darrens Hope in a Novice Chase. I did the exact same thing when I saw Sebastopol in this race. He has already run in 10 chases, winning three and finishing in the first two in five of them. Already a Listed winner over fences, he’s been runner up in a G2 and he also won a handicap chase off 144. Good ground suits him and his last two wins came going left handed.
The fav, Stage Star, has had one run over fences, an impressive win at Warwick. He won a G1 hurdle here in December last year before pulling up the next twice. Talented but is he 100% reliable? Beauport landed a Listed chase on his debut over the bigger obstacles. He too has undoubted ability but he’d probably prefer it softer. Camprond unseated at the second on his only chase start, while Wonderwall has never jumped a fence in public. He hasn’t run since last February either. At the odds, it is worth siding with Sebastopol e/w in the hope he puts his superior experience to good use.
Newbury Friday Racing Tips: Sebastopol e/w @ 25/1 nb
2.30 – Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Six runners and not one of them bigger than 8/1. An easy race to swerve. No bet.
Newbury Friday Racing Tips: No Bet
3.05 – Long Distance Hurdle (Grade 2)
Another Graded race with a very dodgy looking favourite. In Champ’s defence, he wasn’t disgraced when 4th in the Stayers’ but he has now tasted defeat at short odds (including at 8/15) on his last three starts. His sole win last year came first up so this could be the time to catch him but there are undeniable risks involved.
The problem is, the most likely horses to benefit if he flops are pretty short too. Paisley Park will probably need this so I’d imagine a racefit Proschema and a sharper Thomas Darby could be the ones to benefit. Dashel Drasher is an absolute legend of a horse but he would like the heavens to open. Tea Clipper has ability but he hasn’t raced over timber for some time so he could lack the sharpness over the smaller flights than some of his rivals. I’d love to see either Paisley or Dashel Drasher win but I don’t fancy either of them on this occasion. Unfortunately, another no bet race.
Newbury Friday Racing Tips: No Bet
3.40 – Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
Our only other bet today goes in this 24f handicap hurdle. I’m always a fan of horses that have run well in a race previously and Skandiburg ticks that box today. Trained by Charlotte Fuller, it looks to me like he has been targeted at a contest in which he finished a decent 5th in last season off 142. That run wasn’t a flash in the pan as three starts later, Skandiburg was beat less than 2L into 2nd off 132 at Warwick.
The son of Sageburg, who lacked a run last year, has had two spins this season under Tabitha Worsley so fitness won’t be an issue. What is even better is that he is now racing off a mark of 130, 2lbs lower than for that fine Warwick run and a whopping 12lbs lower than he was for this last season. Now obviously, if he has been trying his best the last twice then we are in trouble. However, the way this usual hold up performer was ridden suggests he wasn’t.
Gavin Sheehan now takes over in the plate and he was on board for two of this lad’s last three wins (when trained by Jamie Snowden). He’s 4lbs lower than for his last win at Cheltenham in 2020 and with trip, track and ground all to suit, hopefully he can repeat the level of form he showed last year off 12lbs lower. At odds of 20/1, Skandiburg is the e/w selection.
