National Hunt racing is pretty quiet this week as the big stables take stock of Cheltenham and prepare for the upcoming Grand National meeting at Aintree. Newbury has managed to put together a decent card on Friday and we have selections in the first three races on the card.
The opening novices hurdle at 2.30 can go the way of Mr Dinosaur for Paul Nicholls. He arrives at Ditcheat with a big reputation from the point-to-point scene after being snapped up by the Wylie family. He looked in a different league to his rivals last time and this two miles and five furlongs looks the ideal starting point.
The likely danger is Nicky Henderson’s Mite Bite, third here in a National Hunt flat race on his only previous outing. David Pipe’s Sadler’s Gold was backed as if defeat was out of the question at Plumpton last time but trailed in a dismal fifth.
Nicholls has a chance of a quick double with top weight Katgary in the next after a decent run at Kempton when sixth to Theinval. However, there are a couple of progressive types here in Chosen Well and Ugolin De Beaumont. Chosen Well has won his last three races and was particularly impressive at Exeter last time. He was in front a long way from the finish and may have further improvement to come.
I’m just going to pass him over in favour of Ugolin De Beaumont who won by 22 lengths at Chepstow last time. He could be named the winner as they turned for home and bounded clear with his rider looking around for dangers. His victory was just a bit more eye-catching than that of Chosen Well and he gets the vote.
There are three horses chasing back-to-back successes in the third race at 3.40. Nigel Hawke’s Kadalkin responded well to pressure to win at Doncaster while Owen Na View and Morning Reggie are turned out again quickly under a penalty.
Owen Na View took a keen hold under Paddy Brennan here last week and made a bit of a hash of the third last before bounding clear to win by 11 lengths. He is going up three furlongs in trip and that may not be ideal for a hard pulling sort. The vote here goes to Morning Reggie who stormed clear in a four-runner race at Warwick and gets in here with bottom weight. Oliver Sherwood has always had faith in the grey son of Turgeon and he can defy a penalty. Hopefully a Patent on the three can bring a return ahead of a busy weekend of racing at home and abroad.
Mr Dinosaur 2.30 @5-2 Bet365
Ugolin De Beaumont 3.05 @11-2 Betfair
Morning Reggie 3.40 @7-2 Skybet
