Newbury Saturday

13:15 Coral First For Horse Racing Handicap Chase (Hallowe’en Trophy) 2m 92yds

Gallic Geordie is higher in the weights than when winning this corresponding event 12 months ago, but he has progressed again in the meantime despite failing to win. He tends to travel strongly held up, and should have the race run to suit, with Kauto The King and Capitaine likely to ensure a strong pace.

Gallic Geordie was improving in third place when slithering on landing at Lingfield last time, and would have gone very close to winning had he stood up. He handles testing ground very well, and it’s easy to see ground conditions deteriorating quite badly at Newbury with heavy rain forecast.

13:50 Coral Bet Bundles Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 118yds

The ground will probably go against the likeable Nina The Terrier here, which is a shame, as I’m sure there is a good race to be won with her, and preference is for the progressive Blenkinsop, who merits this rise in grade having won all three starts in handicaps since resuming in November.

He has impressed both with his jumping and with how strongly he’s travelled on soft ground for his last two wins, and this galloping track should be right up his street.

Stamina is no concern given he won over farther at Exeter last time, and the more of a slog this is, the more it will suit him and hamper some of his main rivals.

Main danger on the expected ground is Martello Sky, who relishes ease underfoot and is best at this trip. She has Eddie Edge taking a valuable 10lb off her back, and that takes her weight to an eye-catching 10st13lb. Given her class, she should not be far away with a bit of good fortune.

14:25 Coral Racing Club Mandarin Handicap Chase 3m 1f 214yds

Grumpy Charley is a talented chaser who looks overpriced in ideal conditions having been well beaten on his return behind Le Milos at Bangor before missing a run in the Welsh Grand National Trial.

He was a useful novice over hurdles and was an impressive winner of a novices’ handicap chase at this fixture last year, beating Fern Hill off a mark of 137 on soft ground before running into Bravemansgame on his next outing.

Grumpy Charley has been below form in subsequent starts, but his yard has been under a cloud, and it’s encouraging that Chris Honour’s recent runners have fared much better with both yard representatives in the last 10 days finishing second in competitive races. That suggests that the horses are back in good form, and Grumpy Charley will relish any easing of the ground. This track clearly suits, and while his win came over 2m6½f here, he promises to be well suited by a stiffer test.

15:00 Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f 118yds

Moka De Vassy is an interesting runner at a big price, having a very similar profile to 2009 winner Reve De Sivola.

Jane Williams is now in charge of the George Nympton yard from which husband Nick sent out Reve De Sivola to beat Finian’s Rainbow in this contest after the four-year-old had failed to win in graded company as a juvenile.

Moka De Vassy, like ‘Reve’ before him, ran well in defeat in the Grade 2 at Cheltenham on Trials’ Day last January, finishing second to Pied Piper (Reve was runner-up behind Walkon) but unable to build on that on his final outing.

Like Reve De Sivola, Moka De Vassy looks to have stamina in abundance, so the step up in trip will suit, and he’s the type to improve considerably in his second season.

It will tough for him to win this on his return to competitive action, but he looks vastly overpriced at 66/1.

15:35 Coral Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase 2m 6f 93yds

Malinello didn’t win by far on his chase debut at Newcastle, but he impressed with his jumping and won with more in hand than the bare margin.

That came on good ground but his best effort over hurdles came when beating a pair of subsequent winners on heavy ground at Market Rasen. He ran into a handicap blot on his final start, and was returning from a lengthy break at Newcastle.

Still lightly raced at the age of seven, I’d expect Malinello to progress further and his adjusted mark still give him plenty of scope, particularly in light of how his hurdles runs have worked out.

Warwick Saturday

13:35 Poundland Handicap Hurdle (Challenger Series Qualifier) 3m 2f

Sporting Ace is out of a full-sister to top-class chaser Our Vic, and he did well to win in bumpers given his stamina-laden pedigree. He showed himself suited by this sort of test by winning here on his hurdles debut, and improved when second of seven to Docpickedme in a three-mile handicap at Southwell last time.

He looked a dour stayer again on that occasion, and the likely softer ground as much as the extra quarter mile will play to his strengths here. He would be a more confident shout if trainer Neil King was in better form, but is sure to win handicaps off his current mark.

Cheltenham Sunday

13:55 Paddy Power New Year’s Day Handicap Chase 2m 4f 127yds

There aren’t many at the top of the market who make particular appeal despite the quality of this contest. One who does is Simply The Betts, who ran better than the final result on his return in the Paddy Power when neither he nor his owner/rider appeared at the peak of their fitness, and I would expect improvement on that effort.

The handicapper has given him a chance by dropping him 3lb for that respectable seventh behind Ga Law.

The last time Simply The Betts was this low in the weights, he won the 2020 Festival Plate over course and distance, and he has run at least respectably off higher marks in many of the competitive Grade 3 handicaps at around this trip since.

He would have finished closer last time but for a rare mistake at the penultimate fence and then met some interference when plugging on after the last. The slightly stiffer test on the New Course will suit, and he is likely to be there or thereabouts at a working-man’s price.

Jacamar did us a good turn around this time last year and he makes a degree of appeal having been priced up at an insulting 40/1. His jumping is the worry as he tends to get low and can make errors, but he won off marks of 130 and 131 last term, and has dropped to 132 now having failed to see out longer trips on recent starts.

The return to two and a half miles is in his favour, and he’s worth a win-only wager with a first-time visor potentially helping him to concentrate at his fences. That’s a high-risk bet, but the odds are too good to turn it down.

Recommended

Newbury Saturday

Gallic Geordie 1:15 – 1pt win @ 5/1 (Bet365, Ladbrokes, Coral)

Blenkinsop 1:50 - 1pt win @ 9/1 (Ladbrokes, BetVictor, 888Sport)

Grumpy Charley 2:25 – 1pt e/w @ 12/1 (BetVictor, 11/1 Bet365 – 5 places)

Moka De Vassy 3:00 – 0.5pts e/w @ 66/1 (general – 4 places)

Cheltenham Sunday

Simply The Betts 1:55 – 1pt e/w @ 20/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair – 5 places)

Jacamar 1:55 – 1pt win @ 66/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)