Saturday racing tips: Best bets and odds for Newbury & Warwick

There’s another super Saturday of horse racing action to come, and I’ve found six to follow on betting sites, including a four-point tip for the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury.

Some good horses have come out of this race, with Chantry House and Gowel Road being among the last ten to have won it and there are a few with the potential to go on to better things in this year’s line-up.

They include the Skeltons’ Kadastral, Chris Gordon-trained Kocktail Bleu and the Henderson newcomer over hurdles, Fantasy World. Nicky has won this twice in the last decade and Fantasy World, who was last seen winning on the Flat in Listed company at Ascot last October, is a very interesting runner.

If he jumps hurdles as well as most Seven Barrows inmates, in receipt of 22lb from the favourite, he should very much be involved. After all, he’s officially rated 103 on the level and he’s also won on soft.

Soft jumping ground is usually more testing than soft on the Flat, so that could be a challenge for him but so could the presence of SOBER GLORY. The Philip Hobbs and Johnson White-trained six-year-old has had his colours lowered only once in six starts and he absolutely dotted up over C&D last month, winning by an eased-down 13 lengths.

The runner-up that day has since boosted the form by winning on his next start and I’m taking Harry Cobden’s mount to underline his level of improvement by successfully conceding weight all around.

Saturday racing tip 1: Sober Glory – 2pts win @ 10/11 (bet365)

A Pai De Nom is a worthy favourite for this stayers’ contest on his achievements this season, during which time he’s also be building plenty of experience. He was a little unlucky at Kempton last time, being bumped just as things were about to get serious and that was still a good effort in context.

However, he looks skinny enough in terms of the 2/1 on offer about him, even though going up in trip offers the possibility of further improvement. The same can be said of BELOW THE RADAR, who might just be that for this race, on account of not having a handicap win to his name yet.

Paul Nicholls trains the eight-year-old, who came closest to winning one at Ayr’s spring meeting last year, when just ‘nutted’ by Summergrounds (2m4½f, good to soft). There’s every chance he’ll see this out and he is backable each-way. He was the only runner who really got going late on in his recent second-place effort at Haydock (2m5f, good to soft), further fuelling that theory.

Saturday racing tip 2: Below The Radar – 1pt each-way @ 9/2 (bet365)

I think it’s lovely when former favourites are remembered with races, such as Denman and, in this case, Game Spirit. For younger readers who may be unaware, Game Spirit was owned by the late Queen Mother and contrary to the distance of this race, he was a very good staying chaser of the 1970s.

So on to this year’s renewal, and while I am shying away from putting up the odds-on ‘jolly’ in the Denman, I will stretch that far for LULAMBA, who could look like a very good value bet at 4/5 (at the time of writing) come three o’clock on Saturday.

Regular readers of the Friday newsletter will know I’ve been tracking his progress. I thought he jumped superbly on his chasing debut at Exeter and, apart from a slight peck on landing at the first fence in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown last time (he’d jumped the fence well), he was again very slick.

He’s now a Grade 1 winner over both hurdles and fences, his only defeat coming by a neck to Poniros in last season’s Triumph Hurdle. The presence of Saint Segal, who is also very good but whose form has begun to plateau, should help to hold up the price of the selection.

Lulamba is the best off at the weights here and I think it will be a surprise if the ante-post Arkle favourite is turned over.

Saturday racing tip 3: Lulamba – 4pts win @ 4/5 (William Hill)

Dan Skelton is becoming the modern master at getting his horses on the right mark for these big handicaps and, therefore, it’s no surprise to see the layers taking few chances with Let It Rain.

She dotted up in a mares’ race at Wetherby before being a close third at Ascot last time. We have collateral form from that race heading into this, as All In You (second favourite here) and Dance And Glance (who won that day) had little to choose between them.

The last-named is exposed but if you fancied playing each-way at 16/1 about Anthony Honeyball’s charge, I wouldn’t call you stupid. Un Sens A la Vie represents team Twiston-Davies, who’ve won this twice in the last nine years and this year’s representative also has claims, while Lanesborough, beaten by ten lengths in the Lanzarote at Kempton (2m5f, good) last time, can’t be dismissed dropping back in trip.

This race gets no easier to solve and there’s been no winning favourite since 2019, which has tempted me in to side with TUTTI QUANTI for Paul Nicholls (last won this with Pic D’orhy in 2020), who I think is a working man’s price at 9/1 at the time of writing.

If Skelton is fast becoming the master, then he was of course apprentice to Nicholls at Ditcheat and the multiple champion trainer knows how to win these races himself, given the right ammunition.

He’s got topweight to shoulder in a hot race but I loved the way he stuck on after making just about every yard over C&D, when winning the Gerry Fielden last November. That showed he is still improving and if he can raise the bar another notch, he could pick up this prestigious handicap. We can back him each-way at the prices and hope that things click.

Saturday racing tip 4: Tutti Quanti – 2pts each-way @ 15/2 (bet365)

This looks like being a cracking novices’ handicap chase involving some promising staying handicappers and the one I’d like to be with to at least make the frame, and hopefully win it, is KNIGHT OF ALLEN.

I’d say that on the basis of his record over fences to date, combined with the potential to show more now going back up in trip, there is some value in the 7/1 on offer about him at the time of writing.

He jumps well, he acts around this lovely, galloping track and I think his current mark of 127 gives him some wriggle room with the handicapper. The only slight question mark is that he’s not yet won on genuine soft ground but it’s not like he has had plenty of attempts at doing so. The suggestion is an each-way play in an open contest and I would not be surprised if he comes up trumps.

Saturday racing tip 5: Knight Of Allen – 1pt each-way @ 5/1 (bet365)

Some of these Grade 2 participants hold entries at the Cheltenham Festival and, although they’re fancy prices at the moment, here’s one last chance for them to enhance their claims before their big day.

One of those is GOOD GIRL KATHLEEN, who looked a real improver when dotting up in a Cork Grade 3 hurdle last time out, on testing ground. She’s trained by Emmet Mullins who, of course, knows the time of day and while this won’t be easy with a penalty to carry, it could be a bit easier than putting her up against a Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott-trained star back across on the Emerald Isle.

Her last-time win is the best form on offer here and, while others can obviously also improve, there’s nothing to say she can’t either. She’s in the Albert Bartlett but she travelled well at Cork and on very testing ground, as we often see at Warwick, I don’t think the drop back to 2m3f here should be a major concern.

She’s backable each-way and I think she’s a small stakes play at 5/1 at the time of writing.

Saturday racing tip 6: Good Girl Kathleen – 1pt each-way @ 5/1 (Betfred)

Each Saturday, LiveScore Bet run a money-back offer relating to one of the races being shown on ITV Racing that day. This week, that race is the 15.20 at Newbury

If you decide to have a wager on that race at Newbury, for which I’ve put up Tutti Quanti, and your selection finishes second, third or fourth, you’ll receive your stake back in free bets.

There’s no need to opt in to the offer, just place a wager on the race and if your selection finishes in the top four but doesn’t win, you’ll receive a free bet refund, up to a maximum of £10.

Only the win part of any each-way bets will be credited back to LiveScore Bet punters.

If you plan to have a bet on the racing, make sure to gamble responsibly.

It’s vital that bettors take steps to remain in control of their time and budget when using gambling sites. The same applies whether you’re using the betting sites UK, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable racing punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino bonuses you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

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