2024 Newbury & Newcastle Saturday Preview – DS

by Dave Stevos | Nov 29, 2024

2024 Newbury & Newcastle Saturday Preview & Tips

We’ve had some bad weekends before but last Saturday was a new low. We had more non-completers than finishers and those that did make it round were well beaten. The tide will turn at some point, hopefully it happens this weekend. Check out Dave Stevos’ 2024 Newbury & Newcastle Saturday preview below.

1.54 Newbury – Coral Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)

The last four winners of this race have been chalked up at 28/1, 20/1, 14/1 and 12/1. The former and the latter horses were trained by Dan Skelton and ridden by Harry and they team up with Lac De Constance this afternoon. When I started writing this preview he was 14/1, he has been cut to 8s now but I am sticking to my guns.

He was lightly raced last season after undergoing wind surgery. He ran just twice but the second run was a cracking effort in a decent Haydock handicap off 136. Beaten just 4.75l for the win over the 2m3f trip, he stayed on well and gave the impression that a sight step up in trip would suit him.

He made his seasonal reappearance at Uttoxeter (20f, gd/sft) last month. Waited with, he moved into the race nicely and he held every chance of at least placing when coming a cropper at the last hurdle. He races off the same mark here, soft ground suits and given his yard’s record in this contest, he is worth backing e/w at odds of 8/1.

2024 Newbury & Newcastle Saturday Tip: Lac Constance e/w @ 8/1 NAP

2.10 Newcastle – Fighting Fifth Hurdle (Grade 1)

The bad news? We won’t get to see the long awaited return of Constitution Hill. The good news? We have the biggest field for this race since Straw Bear won in 2006. Sir Gino has been put in as the 5/4 favourite after beating a lame Constitution Hill in a racecourse gallop. Unbeaten after four starts, he landed the Grade 1 4yo hurdle at Aintree last year, he beat Burdett Road by 10l at Cheltenham last January and he looks to have Mystical Power to beat here.

The Irish raider will sport the silks of Rich Ricci for the first time here. Still part-owned by JP, his sole defeat from five starts over hurdles last season came in the Supreme. He got back on track with back to back Grade 1 wins at Aintree and Punchestown and he is rated 2lb higher than Sir Gino so it’ll be fascinating to see who comes out on top. It should be close, but for me, Sir Gino could be the one to be on.

Place Money

With eight runners and three places up for grabs, there’s no prizes for guessing who I am going to back e/w here. Colonel Mustard is rated 146, so he has it to do to get near the market principals and he is admittedly a lot more exposed than some of these. However, he is well capable of running to close to 150 on his day and if he can do that here, third is not out of the question.

The 9yo will be piping fit for this race having already had two runs this season. He finished 3l behind Solness at Sligo (18f, yielding), and he has since finished a neck behind Found A Fifty in a Grade 2 chase at Navan. Last time at Ascot he ran a blinder over 19.5f in a Grade 2, finishing a 1.75l third and just a neck behind the 150 rated Blueking d’Oroux.

He hasn’t had many chances on ground with good in the description. He handles testing ground but his form figures at 16f/17f on good to soft or quicker read 2322, including a 2.75l defeat to Jonbon, a third in the County Hurdle and a second in the Scottish Champion Hurdle. I think apart from the top two, he possesses some of the best form in the race so at odds of 35/1, Colonel Mustard is the e/w selection.

2024 Newbury & Newcastle Saturday Tip: Colonel Mustard e/w @ 35/1 NB

2.25 Newbury – Intermediate Handicap Hurdle (Premier)

I am going to do the unthinkable in this race and back a handicap debutant. No doubt I’ll live to regret it, but off a mark of 120, Navajo Indy is too tempting to turn down at odds of 16/1. Trained by in form Tom Symonds, this horse has won two of his five starts over timber. He had a short head to spare when scoring in a novice at Bangor on his seasonal reappearance last month but the form that makes him of interest here is his C&D second back in January.

In that maiden hurdle Navajo Indy found just Be Aware too good. He was beaten 2.25l by that rival, from whom he was getting 3lb, and the winner has since gone on to finish runner up in hot handicap hurdles at Sandown off 124 and in the Greatwood at Cheltenham last month off 130. He is now rated 137.

Symonds’ charge won his bumper here in November of last year so he clearly likes this place and he is effective on soft and good to soft ground. He has more experience than most handicap debutants with five runs over hurdles under his belt and that last Bangor run should have left him spot on fitness wise. At odds of 16/1, Navajo Indy is worth chancing e/w for small stakes.

2024 Newbury & Newcastle Saturday Tip: Navajo Indy e/w @ 16/1 (4 places)

3.00 Newbury – Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier)

Once upon a time, this used to be one of the most eagerly anticipated races of the season. Horses of the calibre of Denman, Bobs Worth and Native River all won this in previous years but unfortunately, times have changed. At least this looks an open renewal and at 33/1, Sam Brown will do for me.

Yes, he is a 12yo and yes, he has to carry top weight with a rating of 154 but his reappearance run at Wetherby in the Charlie Hall showed there is life in this old dog yet. Back in April, Sam Brown was beaten a length in a Premier Handicap at Aintree off 154 with Freddie Gingell taking off 5lb. Two weeks later he again ran a cracker off 154 when 6th of 20 in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.

The good to soft ground should be absolutely fine for him and he won’t be inconvenienced if it rains. He won off 151 back in March at Ascot and while it will probably take close to a career best for him to win this, if he can repeat what he showed at Wetherby, he is more than capable of nicking some place money at odds of 33/1.

2024 Newbury & Newcastle Saturday Tip: Sam Brown e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)

3.20 Newcastle – Rehearsal Handicap Chase (Premier)

We backed Kinondo Kwetu on his last start at Cheltenham. He pulled up, just like he did when he previously ran there, so it was a lesson learned. The son of Casamento clearly doesn’t act on that track but I am hoping he can bounce back in this.

He races off 141 here, just 4lb above his last win in August at Worcester. If the ground description is accurate, he’ll have his favoured conditions and he has run well here before over hurdles. Sam England’s horses are generally running ok and he has a 50% frame hitting strike rate at Newcastle.

Given his hit and miss profile, stakes should be kept small but if he is on a going day, Kinondo Kwetu is capable of outrunning his odds of 33/1.