With just over a month until the Cheltenham Festival, the Weekend Watch team are beginning to think about the March showpiece, but there’s some cracking National Hunt racing at Newbury on Saturday with the Betfair Hurdle and Game Spirit Chase being two of the feature races on the card.
Kate Tracey, Andrew Mount and Dave Young take a look at the action at Newbury and pick out their best bets for the action, which is sure to take place in testing conditions.
You can back any of the team’s selections with BetMGM who are offering new customers £40 in free bets when you deposit and bet £10.
1:30 Newbury – Betfair Serial Winners Fund Handicap Hurdle
Dave: “On The Blind Side – last time he won was here at Newbury over course and distance at 50/1 off this mark of 137, so I can see he’s a 40/1 poke here. How can you not bet him! I can also make a case for Emitom in here as well and he has a bit of chance and I think he’s relatively solid.”
Andrew: “Kyntara is the one I am probably going to side with. He’s had three runs for Mel Rowley with 1st, 1st, 2nd and I thought he’d give you a really good run for your money.”
2:05 Newbury – Betfair Denman Chase
Dave: “This is a race that I will sit back and enjoy. Shishkin wins this as far as I’m concerned. The only way Protektorat beats Shishkin is if Shishkin does something a bit silly.”
Andrew: “It’s an interesting, but shockingly poor race. My tactic here is have a Placepot, put all five in and hope the ground turns heavy and there’s one non runner and then something like Sam Brown wins at 25/1.”
2:40 Newbury – Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase
Dave: “I think the bookmakers have priced this up right which means I think Edwardstone has a favourite’s chance to win this. I think Alan King will say to Tom Cannon just let him do what he wants out front.”
Kate: “I think it’s worth chancing Amarillo Sky at his current price. He finished lame last time out when 4th of six in the 2023 Clarence House Chase, but it was still a fair effort considering he was lame and prior to that he bolted up over this course and distance.”
Andrew: “I am going to go with youth siding with the two eight-year-olds in the race with Amarillo Sky and Calico.”
3:15 Newbury – Betfair Hurdle
Dave: “I think Iberico Lord is pretty solid, the Ascot run I can forgive him as the ground was too quick. He’s top-priced 8/1 at the time of recording and with six places on offer I can’t see him out of the frame.”
Andrew: “The two I was interested in, although I admit the ground has gone against one of them in Our Champ, but a more interesting one is Knickerbockerglory. He has six wins from eight starts after being off the track for more than five weeks and he seems to handle any going.”
Kate: “My two selections in this are Luccia, who has been pushed out due to the ground conditions, but I can’t leave her out and will have an each-way play. But, the first play is Spirit D’aunou, who has won five from the last six races”
Don’t forget to check out occasional Weekend Watch pundit, Matty Sutcliffe’s selections for this weekend as well as Dave Young’s weekly Cheltenham ante-post picks.
Matty Sutcliffe’s Weekend Pointers & Punts
Dave Young’s Cheltenham Ante-Post Book
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