Newbury Saturday

1.15 Castle Windows Newbury Anniversary Novices’ Hurdle 2m 69y

Kocktail Bleu has the best form on offer and is hard to oppose in a race of this nature. He was runner-up in the Grade 2 Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton last time, and would be giving main rival Lisbane Park 5lb if this were a handicap. He has done nothing wrong in finishing second on his last three outings and should end that sequence of near misses now.

1.50 BetVictor Novices’ Handicap Hurdle 2m 2f 183y

There will be much better to come from Glancing Jack at some point, with Tom Symonds’ gelding looking one for next year given the inexperience he’s shown in a couple of runs this season. His opening mark is no gimme, however, and I’d prefer on this occasion to side with the experience of Doctors Hill, who has run well several times this season and has been generously dropped 3lb for his latest effort.

Unsuited by being held up in a slowly run race at Chepstow last time, he made some headway in the straight but couldn’t get on terms with the better-placed runners, and is clearly better than the run implies.

His best efforts have come when running on in well-run races over two miles and while he didn’t seem to stay at an extended two and a half miles here in December, he still ran faster than No Drama This End did in winning the Challow Hurdle later on the card.

He improved on that when second to General Briar over two miles here in January and this intermediate trip should suit assuming he settles as well as he did last time.

2.25 BetVictor Handicap Chase 2m 3f 187y

Heltenham is bidding for his third win in this race and is the obvious starting point after winning the Greatwood Gold Cup here on his latest start. The pair he beat that day, Blow Your Wad and Teddy Blue have since franked the form, the former finishing in the frame in the Ultima and the latter scoring at Kempton last weekend.

He’s a worthy enough favourite given his course form but his winning marks here have been 130, 134 and 136 and he’s looked vulnerable off this sort of mark having been raised 6lb for a half-length win last time. Heltenham was, in fact, beaten fairly easily by Twinjets here in November and is effectively 3lb worse off now as both have risen in the weights, but Jay Tidball is able to claim 5lb off the topweight.

He was soundly beaten in the Greatwood Gold Cup but needs to dominate lesser rivals and looked to sulk after being headed there. The key to him is the possibility of an easy lead and while he’s capable of running a stinker, this looks a good set-up for him and he will be hard to reel in if able to dictate matters as he did when beating the favourite here earlier in the campaign.

3.00 BetVictor British EBF Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 4f 118y

The race at Market Rasen in which Khrisma beat Charisma Cat could prove the key to the Mares’ EBF Final, with a few of the beaten horses catching the eye there with a view to this contest. Getawhisky looked a typical Skelton handicap job when finishing fourth under fairly considerate handling by Tristan Durrell and should benefit from the longer trip, while Watamu travelled arguably best of all until unable to make any inroads from between the last two hurdles.

That pair are respected and worth including in exotics, but the one to take from the race above all others may be the inexperienced Trinity Street who was the most imposing in the preliminaries and seemed to find the sharp test against her at Market Rasen, making the running and jumping soundly but lacking the finishing kick of the placed horses.

A mare who is bred to stay well, being from the family of Ultima winner Beware The Bear and prolific point winner Vintage Class, she ought to improve again for the step up in trip on a galloping track and could prove ahead of the handicapper having gained her mark over inadequate trips.

She was very green when beaten at Hexham on her hurdles bow but showed improvement to chase home Charisma Cat at Chepstow, and looks the sort to go on to even better things, particularly with fences in mind next season.

3.35 Goffs Hundred Grand Bumper 2m 69y

Since the start of last season, trainer Toby Bulgin has sent out bumper debutants to win at a remarkable rate, with six winners from 16 runners in under two years. Backing them all blind to a tenner at SP would have produced a profit of £770 and the stable has struck recently with newcomers Nathannah at Wincanton and Port Isaac at Doncaster.

The winners don’t always progress much and Bulgin’s secret seems to be in ensuring they know their job and lack nothing in fitness when first making the track, so it looks significant that he runs Mistral Du Chenet here on the gelding’s racecourse bow.

Given how well the Bulgin bumper horses have done of late, and looking at the value of this particular contest, it would not be crazy to suggest that the trainer has set aside the best of his crop for the most valuable prize. On the figures alone – and few trainers can match Bulgin’s strike-rate – the son of No Risk At All is begging to be backed at around 16/1.

Recommended

Doctors Hill 1.50 Newbury – 1pt win @ 8/1 (general)

Twinjets 2.25 Newbury - 1pt win @ 15/2 (Bet365; 7/1 general)

Trinity Street 3.00 Newbury – 1pt e/w @ 22/1 (Ladbrokes, Coral 4 pl; Betfred 20/1 5 pl)

Mistral Du Chenet 3.35 Newbury – 1pt win @ 18/1 (Hills; 16/1 Bet365)