‘Cheltenham could be his next scalp’ – 20/1 ante-post William Hill Hurdle tip

The William Hill Hurdle is one of the most valuable and prestigious handicaps on the British racing calendar and it takes place at Newbury on Saturday. With a total prize fund of £155,000, it’s sure to be a fiercely competitive affair. We’ve had a look at the main event and picked out a 20/1 tip that could run a huge race at a substantial price.

Trained by Ben Pauling, the horse in question is a progressive handicapper and Cheltenham could be his next scalp if winning here, with a County Hurdle bid being a strong possibility. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.

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£30 In Free Bets When You Bet £10

18+. Play Safe. Online only. Ends 31.12.26. New UK customers only, registering with promo code S30. Make your first deposit of £10+, then place a £10 single bet from main balance at odds of EVS+ on any sports market (excluding Virtuals). Get £30 in Free Bets (3x£10) after settlement. Free Bets valid on any sports market excl. Virtuals, expire in 7 days, non-withdrawable and must be used in full (£10 each). Deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay and WH PLUS Card excluded. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply. https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ . #ad

William Hill Hurdle

Fiercely Proud (20/1, William Hill) is available at a nice price with the race sponsors and Ben Pauling’s six-year-old has the ideal profile for it.

Useful as a novice hurdler last term, he was competitive in a couple of Grade 2s, including when only beaten two lengths by Jeriko Du Reponet at Doncaster last January. He then went on to finish second behind Lump Sum in the Dovecote at Kempton.

The son of Iffraaj was in contention when falling at Ascot on seasonal debut and probably could have been ridden a little more aggressively in the Greatwood at Cheltenham. Taking a step forward to win a good race at Ascot next time there could be further improvement to come.

Ben Pauling is certainly a trainer on the up and every season he gets better and better. It’s unfortunate for the yard that stable star Jukebox Man is out for the season but they have some talented horses to go to war with and Fiercely Proud fits into that category.

If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.

£30 In Free Bets When You Bet £10

18+. Play Safe. Online only. Ends 31.12.26. New UK customers only, registering with promo code S30. Make your first deposit of £10+, then place a £10 single bet from main balance at odds of EVS+ on any sports market (excluding Virtuals). Get £30 in Free Bets (3x£10) after settlement. Free Bets valid on any sports market excl. Virtuals, expire in 7 days, non-withdrawable and must be used in full (£10 each). Deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay and WH PLUS Card excluded. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply. https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ . #ad

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£30 In Free Bets When You Bet £10

18+. Play Safe. Online only. Ends 31.12.26. New UK customers only, registering with promo code S30. Make your first deposit of £10+, then place a £10 single bet from main balance at odds of EVS+ on any sports market (excluding Virtuals). Get £30 in Free Bets (3x£10) after settlement. Free Bets valid on any sports market excl. Virtuals, expire in 7 days, non-withdrawable and must be used in full (£10 each). Deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay and WH PLUS Card excluded. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply. https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ . #ad