Best bets for the horse racing Friday 1st December 2023

After a few days twiddling my thumbs with no bet having been placed since Saturday I am getting involved on Friday. Newbury has had to pass a precautionary inspection at 7.30am this morning and I am glad to say horseracing goes ahead in Berkshire. Hats off to the team, ground staff covered the entire course earlier this week in an attempt to guard against the cold snap and despite temperatures down to minus three Celsius they are racing.

Best bets for the horse racing at Newbury

I tipped Hermes Allen for the G.1 2m5f Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this year where he was, in truth, a little disappointing in sixth; was considered one of the yards better chances. Following that run he was third in the G.1 2m4f Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree when last seen in April; I tipped him there as well. He starts his season, and his Novice Chase career, in the 1.50 at Newbury on Friday afternoon the Grade Two 2m4f Coral John Francome Novices' Chase. I Noted Paul Nicholls saying of his charge in a pre-season interview “He had his wind done over the summer and he will go novice chasing now. He is not the biggest but he’s very athletic and I don’t see fences being a problem.” If he takes to the larger obstacles he could be a major player in the Novice Chase division around two-and-a-half miles and I have taken a bit of the 6-4 about him to make it a winning start over Jumps. I assume the G.1 Turners Novices' Chase at the Festival is the ultimate aim or the G.1 Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree.

The three-mile Grade Two Coral Long Distance Hurdle at 3.00 is the other bog race on the card at Newbury. Another of my tips at the Cheltenham Festival (didn’t win either) Maries Rock lines-up here. She finished off last season coming home second in the G.1 3m Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree and I fully expect to see the Nicky Henderson trained mare over the longer trip all season; I think she may be better for the stiffer test. In a division where a few big names have gone Novice Chasing and others aint getting any younger, see Paisley Park and Dashel Drasher who oppose her today, she might be the bright young thing over the coming months and form part of the new school of staying hurdlers along with the French based Theleme and Gordon Elliott trained Teahupoo. “It’s great to get her out a month and a bit sooner than we were able to last year and she seems in great form with herself. She went to Newbury last Tuesday, which was a good away day for her as she is quite excitable, and it just helped to burn off some of that freshness and excitement. We’ve had this race in mind since Aintree and she’s not missed a day. Her schooling at home has been excellent, her work at home has been excellent and we couldn’t be happier with her coming into this. She’s fit enough to do herself justice. Obviously she’ll come on for it after 230 days off the racetrack, but that’s going to be the same for anyone who hasn’t had a race.” said Middleham Park Racing manager Tom Palin. She's odds-on at 8-11 generally but I am prepared to takethe short odds on this one. 

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