NEWBURY is forecast to have a dry Saturday on what will be an excellent day of racing. The heavy rainfall at the Berkshire course this week means that it will be very much about who can handle the conditions best. The Denman Chase Grade 2 features Shishkin Unibet 8/13 on for Unibet Ambassador Nicky Henderson, with Nico de Boinville in the plate as usual. Shishkin was my nap for the King George VI Chase at Kempton when stumbling after the second last and unseating Nico after doing everything right including the preliminaries that day. There is no doubt that he would have moved clear to win and would have held off the admirable Hewick. Shishkin has won on the heavy and can hold off Protektorat, who ran well at Lingfield last time behind L’Homme Presse and a resurgent Sam Brown, who won the Unibet Veterans’ Chase Final at Warwick last time.
The Game Spirit Chase is very tricky with Edwardstone looking to return to form, although he has won on the heavy, whilst Editeur Du Gite was below form last time after his Desert Orchid success and Boothill might not like such testing conditions. Amarillo Sky hasn’t won on heavy and Funambule Sivola is looking for a remarkable third successive victory in the Game Spirit after winning on quick ground last year.
As ever the big hurdle race looks as competitive as ever with only a few of the runners having form in the testing conditions, including Spirit D’Aunou Unibet 15/2 each way, who won really well in the heavy at Sandown last time out at the Tingle Creek. I was very tempted to include him with my bigger priced selections below.
It is a massive shame that Warwick has lost another important meeting to the weather, as we didn’t get the chance to see a very open Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase on a good card at Warwick.
Enjoy the racing at Newbury and I’ll see you there or watching #athome on ITV Racing.
Cheers
The Wine Tipster
1.30 Newbury – Handicap Hurdle (3m)
Kyntara is a very obvious pick. Since joining the Rowley’s he’s refound his mojo, and after two ready wins at Lingfield and Aintree, the latter in very deep ground, he might well have made it a hat-trick of wins had he jumped the last cleanly at Warwick. Sadly, a mistake allowed J’Ai Froid to come in and steal the race on the run-in, but it was another cracking effort. Up another 4lb but that is less of an issue with the conditions.
Unibet 11/4 win
Ballymagroaty Boy loves the mud and was a winner at Ffos Las two starts ago when thriving in the conditions but was slightly disappointing when made favourite to follow up at Haydock two weeks later. Perhaps he was just feeling the effects of a busy winter – that was his fourth run in six weeks – so having January off certainly might have revitalised him. He is normally an enthusiastic runner, is generally consistent and has run well on his two previous appearances at Newbury.
Unibet 11/1 each way
3.15 Newbury – Handicap Hurdle (2m ½f)
Doddiethegreat (nap) for Unibet Ambassador Nicky Henderson is an eight-year-old having only his sixth career start and fourth appearance over hurdles. On his penultimate appearance in November at Ascot he was having his first start for 746 days when beating Junkanoo by 2 lengths in an introductory hurdle. He then went to Cheltenham for their Christmas meeting and finished second to Go Dante (6th in the Unibet Greatwood), giving him 6lbs, after travelling prominently and jumping well throughout in a 12-runner field. Doddiethegreat was not given a hard ride that day and still remarkably for an eight-year-old looks a raw talent, who had stepped up considerably from his Ascot run. His sire Fame And Glory handled all types of ground, winning on the heavy and Doddiethegreat looks sure to move forward from his Cheltenham appearance and will handle the competitive nature of the race to reward each way players at a minimum.
Unibet 25/1 each way
Ito Ditto has form figures this season of 121, which has seen him go from a mark of 98 to 121 and he has just the type of progressive profile you need for this very competitive handicap. Last time out at Chepstow on their Welsh Grand National day he won a novices’ hurdle when making all and jumping superably to beat Imperial Saint by 3¼ lengths with the third 16 lengths back. The ground was described as soft that day, however it was much more testing than that and Ito Ditto kept travelling on that occasion, which means that what are going to be truly testing conditions at Newbury are within his compass. The concern would be that he could be outclassed here, given those who have finished behind him have hardly franked the form, but Ito Ditto just can’t be ignored based on visual performances, whilst there are other factors in his favour including ground and carrying 10st 7lb.
Unibet 22/1 each way
