The Craven meeting has been and gone and now it’s on to the trials weekend at Newbury, where the Greenham and Fred Darling should give further clues on who might emerge victorious in the Guineas at Newmarket in two weeks.
The Spring Cup is the most competitive handicap on the weekend this year and carries a purse that totals £70,000, and that is a good betting race to accompany the Group events.
Clive Gildon provides his analysis on the big races as well as some other selections across the two days at Newbury, where they race from 1:42pm to 4:50pm on Friday and 1:30pm to 5:30pm on Saturday.
2:12 Newbury Friday – Dubai Duty Free Handicap (6f)
This is a wide-open handicap, with 17 runners going to post, but the most interesting runner is Buccabay, who still looks well treated on the pick of his turf form and will be suited by returning to the surface after a spell on the all-weather. He is a better horse on turf and has plenty more to offer.
The Eve Johnson Houghton-trained runner scored by two and three-quarter lengths on his last start on turf at Bath in September and has been running well on sand without winning over the winter.
His last four all-weather form figures read 2483, and he was beaten no further than three lengths on any of those occasions. His best effort came at Kempton in October, when he was beaten just a neck into second off this mark, and a reproduction of that form would give him a huge chance.
Mia Nicholls is booked to ride, and that is another big positive. The in-form rider is excellent value for her 5lb claim and showed that when booting home Tees Spirit at Newmarket last week. She also has a 22 per cent strike-rate when teaming up with Johnson Houghton and that looks like a tip in itself.
4:15 Newbury Friday - Dubai Duty Free Full Of Surprises Handicap (7f)
A quality handicap for three-year-olds can go to Telemark, who looked good when winning a Yarmouth novice last October and can be forgiven a disappointing effort on his previous outing.
The Night Of Thunder gelding went off 2-1 favourite for that 7f Group 3 contest at Newmarket but drifted to the far side of the track and didn’t see out his race on heavy ground. Conditions were probably too testing.
He handled soft going fine on his previous outing at Yarmouth and will be a big player if he can return to that form on similar conditions, especially as he is bred to improve with another year behind him.
Harry Davies rode Telemark on his debut at Leicester and returns in the saddle to replace Jack Mitchell. Davies is 17 per cent for trainers Simon and Ed Crisford in recent years and is a positive.
1:30 Newbury Saturday - Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes (Group 3, 1m4f)
William Haggas has a promising runner here in the shape of Mujtaba, and the son of Dubawi might be capable of making the improvement required to strike at Group level on his first start at 1m4f.
Mujtaba stayed on strongly when second behind Point Lonsdale in the Group 2 Huxley Stakes at Chester last season, and that was over 1m21/2f, so he shaped like he would get this distance.
He hasn’t been the easiest to train and comes here having run just once since. He was tailed off on that occasion, but it was his first run for a long time on heavy ground at Saint-Cloud and there should be a lot more to come from him with that run under his belt.
His last win came at this course in October 2022 and the return to Newbury might do the trick for Mujtaba under regular rider Jim Crowley.
2:05 Newbury Saturday - Dubai Duty Free Stakes (Group 3, 7f)
Haggas had the star juvenile filly in Britain last season with Relief Rally, who was unlucky not to be unbeaten in five starts and won the Super Sprint at this course over 5f in July.
Relief Rally went on to land the Lowther Stakes over 6f at York on her final start and she is fancied to make a winning return to this course on her seasonal reappearance, now that she steps up to 7f.
The longer distance is an unknown on pedigree and there are mixed signals on breeding, but sometimes the best gauge as to whether a horse will stay is the visual impression and Relief Rally couldn’t have been any stronger at the finish over 6f at York last time. She won easily by a length.
She seems equally effective on fast or slow ground and has the best form on offer in this race. With another winter behind her to strengthen up, she can land this en route to better things.
3:15 Newbury Saturday -Spring Cup (1m)
This is always one of the most competitive mile handicaps run in Britain all season, and the one to be on is Racingbreaks Ryder, who has dropped to a handy mark and might be capable of cashing in.
The Charlie Hills-trained four-year-old completed a hat-trick at this time last year and is now just 1lb higher than when recording his previous win in a 7f handicap on soft ground at Ascot in May.
His previous two wins had come at a mile, so this longer trip suits him, and he has been gelded since his last run at Doncaster in October. That might help him put five consecutive poor runs behind him.
Racingbreaks Ryder won first time out last season after an absence of 174 days and now runs here following a 175-day hiatus. He evidently goes well fresh and might be able to recapture his best form.
Jamie Spencer is also an eye-catching booking as there aren’t many better in big-field mile handicaps than him, and he has ridden three winners for the Hills stable in recent years from just 21 mounts.
