This Saturday ITV will be showing four races from Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup Day with a further two races from Newcastle and their Fighting Fifth Hurdle fixture.
- 1:40 Newbury: “Join Coral Bet £10 Get £50” Handicap Hurdle – Guard Duty @ 8/1
- 2:00 Newcastle: BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle – The New Lion @ 7/4
- 2:15 Newbury: Coral Racing Club Intermediate Handicap Hurdle – Give It To Me Oj @ 13/2
- 2:55 Newbury: Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase – Panic Attack @ 12/1
- 3:15 Newcastle: BetMGM Rehearsal Handicap Chase – Konfusion @ 9/2
- 3:35 Newbury: Coral “Pipped-At-The-Post” Payouts Handicap Chase – Doyen Du Bar @ 15/2
The opening live race of the day on ITV is a handicap hurdle at Newbury over 2m4½f. Market leaders French Ship for Philip Hobbs and Johnson White and Lud’or for Tom Symonds both won last time but our preference is for Emma Lavelle’s Guard Duty at a slightly bigger price who won in similar conditions at the track last March.
Newcastle’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle features eight-time Grade 1 winner Constitution Hill who is looking to get back on track after a disastrous season by his standards in 2024/25. Dan Skelton’s The New Lion is 4/4 over hurdles including the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. Joining those two at the top of the market is the hugely promising Anzadam for Willie Mullins though this is a step up in quality for him. At much bigger prices are Champion Hurdler Golden Ace and dual Grade 2 winner Nemean Lion so this is a race packed with talent.
Top weight in the Coral Racing Club Intermediate Handicap Hurdle will be saddled by Dan Skelton’s Live Conti and Gary and Josh Moore’s Give It To Me Oj who were second and fourth respectively in the Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree last April. Our pick goes to the latter of the pair who made all last month at Cheltenham.
The Coral Gold Cup at Newbury is looking wide open with a maximum field of 24 set to go to post. Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore’s Myretown is the current favourite having won the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in March. Our selection is Dan Skelton’s Panic Attack who is looking to land a quick-fire Gold Cup double after winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup at the November Merting a fortnight ago.
We’re backing Konfusion for Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith in the Rehearsal Handicap Chase having unseated Danny McMenamin after a stumble as the favourite at Haydock last week. Doyen Du Bar switched to the yard of Nicky Richards in October and could get off to a winning start for his new trainer in the final live race of the day, the Coral “Pipped-At-The-Post” Payouts Handicap Chase.