Mail Sport’s racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Saturday’s meetings at Haydock, Ascot, Wincanton, Newcastle and Wolverhampton.
Mail Sport’s racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Saturday’s meetings
Haydock
Robin Goodfellow
1.02 You Wear It Well
1.37 Zhiguli
2.10 Salver
2.40 Botox Has
3.15 Iron Bridge
3.50 Cuthbert Dibble
4.25 Isaac Des Obeaux
4.55 Spyglass Hill
Gimcrack
1.02 You Wear It Well
1.37 Good Work
2.10 Salver
2.40 Butch
3.15 Famous Bridge (nap)
3.50 Yes Day
4.25 Isaac Des Obeaux
4.55 Captain Biggles
Northerner – 3.15 FAMOUS BRIDGE (nap)
ASCOT
Robin Goodfellow
1.15 Inthewaterside
1.50 Brave Kingdom
2.25 Irish Hill (nb)
3.00 Victtorino (nap)
3.36 Pic D’Orhy
4.10 Loup De Maulde
4.45 Anno Power
Gimcrack
1.15 Juventus De Brion
1.50 Kilbeg King
2.25 Monviel
3.00 Threeunderthrufive
3.36 L’Homme Presse (nb)
4.10 Havaila
4.45 Anno Power
Wincanton
Robin Goodfellow
1.30 Onethreefivenotout
2.05 Rubaud
2.35 Hatos
3.07 Dreaming Blue
3.42 Ede’iffs Rock
4.17 Captain Claude
4.50 Zonda
Gimcrack
1.30 Highlands Legacy
2.05 Rubaud
2.35 Hatos
3.07 Moorland Rambler
3.42 The Bold Thady
4.17 Captain Claude
4.50 Zonda
Newcastle
Robin Goodfellow
3.57 Sarkha
4.30 Redondo
5.00 Alhattan
5.30 Beelzebub
6.00 Dingle
6.30 Bonito Cavalo
7.00 Concert Boy
7.30 Eleven Eleven
Gimcrack
3.57 Desert Quest
4.30 Redondo
5.00 Miss Alpilles
5.30 Smoky Mountain
6.00 Oliver Show
6.30 Hurt You Never
7.00 Rich Waters
7.30 Eleven Eleven
NORTHERNER – 5.30 Admiral D (nb)
Wolverhampton
Robin Goodfellow
4.40 Majed
5.15 Savannah Song
5.45 Charlatan
6.15 Lough Leane
6.45 Mon Etoile
7.15 Vaguely Royal
7.45 Intervention
8.15 Dolores Abernathy
Gimcrack
4.40 Bradman
5.15 Blue Collar Lad
5.45 Romanovich
6.15 Calcutta Dream
6.45 Mon Etoile
7.15 Vaguely Royal
7.45 Trip To Rome
8.15 Soi Dao
NEWMARKET – 4.40 Majed (nap); 5.45 Charlatan (nb)
DATABANK – Your guide to the afternoon’s action
JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
CHARLIE DEUTSCH should be full of confidence in his Cheltenham Gold Cup-bound mount.
L’HOMME PRESSE (Ascot, 3.36) after his win at Lingfield following more than a year on the sidelines. He also has strong claims with dual C&D winner.
VICTTORINO (Ascot, 3.00), who can be forgiven defeat over a shorter distance at Cheltenham last time
BUCKSY DES EPEIRES (Ascot, 1.15), who drops back into novice company after competing in handicaps.
TRAINER TO FOLLOW
PAUL NICHOLLS has suddenly got Nicky Henderson breathing down his neck in the title race and will be looking for a big weekend led by PIC D’ORHY (Ascot, 3.36), but he also has great chances courtesy of INTHEWATERSIDE (Ascot, 1.15), BRAVE KINGDOM (Ascot, 1.50), THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE (Ascot, 3.00), ISAAC DES OBEAUX (Haydock, 4.25) plus a clutch of opportunities at Wincantonheaded by RUBAUD (2.05)
Paul Nicholls has suddenly got Nicky Henderson breathing down his neck in the title race
BIG DAY FOR
Conditional jockey Tristan Durrell, who has been handed two very handy rides by Dan Skelton — lightly-raced and weighted SNIPE (Haydock, 3.15) in the Grand National Trial and mud-loving PUNTA DEL ESTE (Haydock, 3.50), who can go close if he copes with the step up in distance.
HORSES FOR COURSES
BONITO CAVALO (Newcastle, 6.30) got off the mark at the 23rd attempt at this track on January 8 — his first start on an AW surface — and he has won there four times since to give him a five from five record at distances from 5f to 7f. He is up in the handicap again but that might not stop him.
TRAINER TARGET
VENETIA WILLIAMS has won the Virgin Bet Grand National Trial Handicap Chase three times (2014, 2018 and 2023) in the last 10 years. She runs outsiders CHAMBARD and FONTAINE COLLONGES in this year’s renewal (Haydock, 3.15).
PERFECT PARTNERS
HARRY RUSSELL has ridden 10 winners from 44 rides for Geoff Oldroyd to show a £1 level stake profit of +£98.50. He partners the trainer’s DOCTOR KHAN JUNIOR (Wolverhampton, 7.45).
WATCH OUT FOR
SOUNDS RUSSIAN (Haydock, 2.40) He was in the form of his life last season in big staying steeplechases and earned his place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup line-up, but was brought down at the 17th fence.
This is his first run since in Haydock’s Rendlesham Hurdle. He is two from two on heavy ground.
BEST RACE FOR FAVOURITES
Six favourites have won the 2.10 and 4.55 at Haydock in the past 10 years.
Venetia Williams has won the Virgin Bet Grand National Trial Handicap Chase three times
TOP PRIZEMONEY EARNERS
ASCOT: 3.36
PIC D’ORHY – £699,917
HAYDOCK: 3.15
CHAMBARD – £233,904
NEWCASTLE: 6.00
TRAIS FLUORS – £418,575
WINCANTON: 2.05
GOSHEN – £241,576
WOLVERHAMPTON: 7.15
MAX VEGA – £207,080
ROBIN GOODFELLOW – Best Bets
By Steve Ryder
VICTTORINO (nap) won his first two starts of the season over this course and distance before disappointing at Cheltenham last time and he holds strong claims to bounce back in the Swinley Chase (Ascot 3.00).
The Venetia Williamstrained gelding was raised 8lb for those two earlier successes and still looks well handicapped back up in trip in this race. In the preceding contest (Ascot 2.25),
IRISH HILL (nb) is expected to bounce back to form off a 3lb lower mark than when winning this race last year. Back then, he was rated 128. On his penultimate start, the Paul Nicholls-trained six-year-old finished second in first-time blinkers at Newbury off a mark of 127.
He faded into ninth place in the Lanzarote Hurdle last time out at Kempton but has subsequently been dropped 2lb for that effort and should run well off 125 with jockey Freddie Gingell taking off a valuable 5lb
THE WIZARD OF ODDS
By Chris Baker
2.05 WINCANTON
A comfortable winner of the Grade Two Elite Hurdle at this course back in November, RUBAUD (nap) has since run well behind Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth. — 9-4
2.40 HAYDOCK
The progressive Butch has strong claims but BOTOX HAS is proven in this grade and was a convincing winner on his only previous run over today’s course and distance. — 9-4
3.00 ASCOT
THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE ended last season with a respectable fourth-place finish in the Scottish Grand National. He has run in two competitive premier handicaps this campaign and finished second on both occasions. — 9-2
ODDS COURTESY OF BETFAIR
