Another top day of jump action to look forward to this Saturday with Newbury and Newcastle the showcase ITV meetings.
At Newbury the Ladbrokes Trophy Chase (3.00), formerly the Hennessy Gold Cup, is the main event as another competitive field eye-up the £142k top prize. Did you know, fifteen of the last seventeen winners were aged eight or younger?
Then up at Newcastle it’s one of their biggest jumping days on the calendar, with the Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle (2.05) the highlight. Can the former Champion Hurdler – Buveur D’Air win the race for a third consecutive year?
Elsewhere, we’ve a supporting jumps card at Bangor, while all weather racing fans get their fix with meetings at Lingfield and Wolverhampton.
We’ll be highlighting our TOP FOUR trends to look for from the ITV Racing and putting them in a big-priced ‘Cracker Acca’ – plus, giving you the ‘best of the rest’ trends from around the other tracks this Saturday.
Plus – don’t forget, you can also get more help finding the winner for all this Saturday’s races on our Free Horse Racing Tips page.
(Pays £4,200 for a £3 stake)
1.15 Newbury: The Colin Tizzard camp have a cracking 27% record with their chasers at Newbury so their MOLINEAUX looks worthy of some interest. We can expect this eight-year-old to be a lot fitter for his return run here at the track earlier this month, but is also dropped two pounds and in this higher grade is carrying twelve pounds less in actual weight. That last outing was also his first after a wind operation so can be expected to improve, while soft/heavy ground is fine.
1.30 Newcastle: It could be significant that the Sue Smith yard have targeted this race with success three times since 2011, so their HILL SIXTEEN catches the eye. This six-year-old needs to bounce back from two average runs this season but has been dropped another three pounds and this longer trip (up to 3m) could just be what he needs after looking a bit one-paced over shorter.
2.05 Newcastle: Really, barring accidents, the Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle should be going to BUVEUR D’AIR for a third time. He’s rated a clear thirteen pounds superior to his nearest rival – Silver Streak – and the fact jockey, Barry Geraghty, makes the trip up to ride him suggests he’s ready to rumble. Of course, we’re not going to get rich backing this Nicky Henderson runner on its own, but the bookmakers can expect to see the former Champion Hurdler in a lot of multiple bets across the day.
3.20 Newcastle: Another open renewal of the Betfair Rehearsal Chase, but it might be worth sticking with last year’s winner – LAKE VIEW LAD. This nine-year-old won his on his return last season so the 238-day break isn’t a worry and is a horse that seems to save his best for Newcastle – his form figures at the track read an impressive 1-2-1-1.
(Pays £4,200 for a £3 stake)
12.55 Newcastle: Trainer Charlie Longsdon has a 50% record with his hurdles at the track.
12.05 Newbury: The Nicky Henderson yard have a 26% record with their hurdles at the track.
12.40 Newbury: Trainer Colin Tizzard has won three of the last four runnings.
3.00 Newbury: Ladbrokes Gold Trophy Trends
12.10 Bangor: Trainer Brian Ellison has a 67% record with his chasers at the track.
1.55 Bangor: The Donald McCain yard have won three of the last five runnings.
2.30 Bangor: The Donald McCain yard have won three of the last seven runnings.
11.25 Lingfield: Trainer Archie Watson has a 27% record with his two-year-olds at the track.
11.55 Lingfield: Trainer Archie Watson has a 27% record with his two-year-olds at the track.
1.05 Lingfield: The Ralph Beckett yard have a 31% record with their four-year-olds or older at the track.
Every LIVE Saturday race covered on ITV can be found on our ITV Racing Tips section, with runner-by-runner previews for each contest.