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Ben Linfoot free horse racing tips for Newbury Coral Gold Cup card and Newcastle Saturday November 30
Our form expert has four selections for the feature Saturday action at Newbury and Newcastle.
The Verdict: Saturday November 30
1pt win Wiseguy in 12.40 Newbury at 20/1 (General)
1pt win Victtorino in 3.00 Newbury at 7/1 (General)
1pt win Iron Bridge in 3.00 Newbury at 25/1 (General)
1pt win Gustavian in 3.30 Newcastle at 10/1 (bet365, 9/1 Paddy Power)
Take two for Gold prize at Newbury
Venetia Williams is in red-hot form and if she can win a Betfair Chase with a horse turning 11 on his way back from injury she can certainly win a Coral Gold Cup with an improving six-year-old like VICTTORINO.
This horse racked up the experience in his native France before switching to Williams’ yard in the spring of 2023 and while he had a sighter over hurdles early on for his new stable he was always going to quickly revert to steeplechasing.
Seven months later he rocked up at Ascot fit and fresh for his British chasing debut and he duly obliged off a mark of 138. With that in mind it’s remarkable he races off only a 5lb higher mark at Newbury on Saturday.
His next win at Ascot, off just 1lb lower than the rating he runs off this weekend, came on good ground and he beat a horse in Yeah Man who won the Grand National Trial at Haydock next time out, so last season’s early-season form looks rock solid.
This looks like being a Coral Gold Cup on ground riding a bit quicker than average, but Victtorino looks fine on that score and we know the 263-day absence is more likely to be a help than a hindrance coming from the yard he does.
It doesn’t look a deep renewal to me and last year’s novices are nothing to be frightened of, while Williams and Charlie Deutsch know exactly what is required given they teamed up with Cloudy Glen in this race three years ago.
The market is tight at the top but I’d rather back Victtorino than all of the others disputing favouritism with him and if he gets into a good rhythm he could be difficult to beat.
Plenty around him in the market look too short and I think the sloggers might be undone by the conditions. With room in the Saturday staking plan for two against the field I also want Jonjo O’Neill’s IRON BRIDGE on side at 25/1.
Like Williams, Jonjo has won this race recently with Cloth Cap in the same Hemmings colours back in 2020 and Iron Bridge looks underestimated from the foot of the weights.
He looks versatile regarding the ground and I thought he jumped beautifully on his return at Carlisle over the same 3m2f distance where he hinted he has the gears for this sort of race following a good third.
I don’t think he’s slow despite having run second in a Welsh National and eighth in a Scottish National last season, his earlier chasing form over shorter distances suggesting as much.
I imagine this is an instinctive target from O’Neill given how the race has panned out rather than the fruition of a long-term plan, but the rhythm of a Coral Gold Cup could really suit this horse and he looks a bigger threat than his odds imply.
The Verdict: Back VICTTORINO & IRON BRIDGE in the 3.00 Newbury
Wiseguy selection for Henderson
The other handicaps at Newbury on ITV look really difficult with so many horses in with chances but before Ed Chamberlin and co appear on our screens WISEGUY looks a bet for Nicky Henderson in the Coral Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase.
He looked a top prospect on chasing debut this time last year when he won nicely over three miles at Exeter from a perch of 123, only for a mistake at Cheltenham’s December meeting to seemingly derail his season.
That Exeter form was really good, with the second, third and fourth all going onto improve their ratings significantly with subsequent victories, so I put plenty of faith in that performance.
With Henderson’s troubled spring in mind it was no surprise this horse didn’t fire when last seen over hurdles at Cheltenham in April, but he starts back chasing here off a competitive mark of 125 and the combination of 2m6f and Newbury looks ideal.
It’s a big day for Henderson with Sir Gino up at Newcastle and with Nico de Boinville heading north it’s James Bowen who steps in for the Seven Barrows rides at Newbury.
He has some chances plenty shorter in the betting than Wiseguy later on the card, but with the pressure off on his first ride of the day it would be no surprise if he gets off to the perfect start on this son of Fame And Glory in an open race.
The Verdict: Back WISEGUY in the 12.40 Newbury
Gust to blow Rehearsal rivals away
Up at Newcastle the big betting race is the BetMGM Rehearsal Handicap Chase where Sean Bowen and Anthony Honeyball team up with GUSTAVIAN, who looks the best-handicapped horse in the race.
The Honeyball yard is in form, Bowen is riding with supreme confidence and when the pair team up they have a 29% strike-rate (4/14).
Gustavian has dropped 13lb in the weights since the start of last season and he ran a cracker in the Badger Beers first time up from what was effectively a 4lb higher mark given he was racing from out of the weights.
He was well beaten in third, but he was hampered before staying on for the bronze medal and it looks the percentage call to take a positive view of the run given he came on for his reappearance in the same race last year.
The Verdict: Back GUSTAVIAN in the 3.20 Newcastle
Preview posted at 1540 GMT on 29/11/24
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