2.30pm Newbury Handicap Tips & Betting Preview 16/07/2016

An interesting handicap that has been won twice each in the seven renewals by Mark Johnston and Sir Michael Stoute, and as only the last named has an entry this season that seems like a superb starting point. This season his representative is the well-bred Alyday (9/2), a daughter of Kyllachy out of a Daylami mare who has only had the three runs so far, getting off the mark last time out at Goodwood over a furlong further and on soft ground. On breeding Sir Evelyn Rothschild’s filly should be even better on the quicker surface currently expected on Saturday, and even though the form of her maiden win isn’t exactly working out as yet, she is certainty to improve with more experience and a big placed run is assured this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Ralph Beckett is another trainer in superb form of late and we all how good he is with the fillies and he has decided to rely on Golden Stunner (3/1) as the daughter of top sprinter Dream Ahead looks for her hat-trick after wins at Nottingham and Newmarket where she hit the front way too early and only just held off Rostova by a nose at the line. At least her narrow victory means she has only been put up five pounds for that win, and we think she can improve again sufficiently to take this, especially if ridden with a little bit more restraint by jockey Jim Crowley here.

Richard Hannon has two in here but jockey bookings suggest that Shwaimsa (13/2) is the number one pick with Pat Dobbs in the saddle. A win and a second as a two-year-old promised much for this season but she was easy to back on her return over seven furlongs at Newmarket before finishing a well beaten ninth of fourteen to Namroodah, staying on and looking a bit one paced. Stepped up to this mile at Ascot in early July she was again caught a bit flat footed before finishing third to Bobby Wheeler and she may need a couple more furlongs to be seen at her peak again.

Two weeks ago David Simcock could do no wrong but his winner statistics have tumbled recently to a mediocre 4%, but he is just the sort to bounce back quickly and has multiple winner Singyoursong (7/2) engaged here with Kieran O’Neill booked bright and early to ride. A daughter of Aqlaam, she has won three of her four wins in 2016 and three out of five overall, with third place finishes in her other two starts, though this will be her first attempt in this sort of company. Starting her handicap career off a mark of 69, she has risen to 81 this afternoon after beating Gypsy Eyes at Ascot when running on strongly more than quickening up, and she will need to improve again to beat some of these off her higher handicap rating.

Hidden Rebel (12/1) rounds off our racing preview here and did at least win last time out at Hamilton over half a furlong further. Running on powerfully that day, the daughter of dual 2000 Guineas winner Cockney Rebel has been put up three pounds for that effort which seems fair enough, and if the going remains on the quick side she could yet pull off a surprise.