Yeeehaaa! Horse racing is back and back with a bang at Newcastle on Monday with 10 races to sort out on a huge day for live sport in Great Britain.
Let’s get straight down to it, and we start at 13:00 with a handicap over 1m. This looks pretty desperate on paper to be honest, and all eyes will be on the ex-Roger Charlton Stone Mason. I’ll have a tiny bit each-way on AL OZZDI tough, who has been a course and distance winner in his time. Trainer Roger Fell has a future ahead of him, and the booking of Ben Curtis is a good one. This is a very hard heat, but that will do me to small stakes!
There’s a similar type of race over 1m at 13:35, but this time it’s a bit classier and it’s hard to get away from MUTASAAMY, who won’t be big odds for Roger Varian and former champion Jim Crowley. The son of Oasis Dream has bad form at this track, but he improved at the end of last season to score at Kempton and should take all the beating on the comeback.
The 14:10 is a novice stakes over 6f, and this is division one of the event. I’m tempted to take a chance with FREEDOM FLYER, who might of been readied for the new combination of Simon and Ed Crisford, who have a joint licence. He is nicely bred by Invincible Spirit. I’m guessing a bit, but fingers crossed.
Newcastle’s Race 4 at 14:45 at is the second division of the novice stakes. Art Power will be strong in the market, but MAGICAL JOURNEY has been nibbled at in betting for the 1000 Guineas and it’s just possible connections are thinking win here and go for the big one at the weekend. Stamina for the James Tate filly in the Classic would be a big question, but this 6f is ideal. She will run a big one under PJ McDonald.
The next at Newcastle is the fifth on the card, a handicap over 6f at 15:20. This is wide open, so I will take a chance on a big-priced runner in BRIAN THE SNAIL, trained by Richard Fahey and ridden by Tony Hamilton. The snail is probably better on turf than this surface, but was well handicapped on form at this track in June of last year. If you don’t tip up the odd reasonable priced horse, you never get a decent priced winner!
This is another handicap over 6f for Race 6 at 15:55, and there’s no doubt the improver could be Oakenshield for Kevin Ryan. I’m looking at having RED TREBLE as an each-way selection. The Rebecca Menzies youngster is a winner already and while that maiden success was over 7f, she should cope with this and give us a nice run at a decent odds.
We are back sprinting for Race 7 at 16:30, and it’s another handicap, this time over 5f. This is probably the most open race of the day, and I’m hoping the Robert Cowell runner TOMSHALFBROTHER will cope with a drop from 6f to this distance. He won at Chelmsford in March and if he copes, he might be improving enough to score.
TUESDAY’S TIPS:
- Timeform’s 10 to watch at Newcastle
- Mick Fitzgerald’s super six at Newcastle on Tuesday
- Frank Hickey’s 5 best bets at Kempton and Newcastle
For those who don’t like sprinting the good news is we go over an extended 1m 4f at 17:05 for a handicap in which most eyes will be on the Sir Michael Stoute-trained ALIGNAK. He looked promising when scoring at Kempton towards the end of last season. Good Tidings will be a big danger for John Gosden.
The good thing on the card might well come at 17:40 in Race 9, when FRANKLY DARLING goes for Gosden in the first division of the maiden stakes. The daughter of Frankel was second at Yarmouth first time and should take all the beating over this extended 10f.
And finally at 18:15 the second division of the maiden can fall to another Gosden inmate in BYZANTINE EMPIRE, who ran well at Kempton first time but then flopped at Sandown. He is by Golden Horn and can get off the mark.
Best of luck everyone and pray for Yeeehaaas. You hear me Paddy?
* Prices correct at publishing but are subject to change except on our snazzy new bet widget which is bang up to date.
Matt Chapman’s tips summary:
13:00 Al Ozzdi
13:35 Mutasaamy
14:10 Freedom Flyer
14:45 Magical Journey
15:20 Brian The Snail
15:55 Red Treble
16:30 Tomshalfbrother
17:05 Alignak
17:40 Frankly Darling
18:15 Byzantine Empire
TUESDAY’S TIPS
- Timeform’s 10 to watch at Newcastle
- Mick Fitzgerald’s super six at Newcastle on Tuesday
- Frank Hickey’s 5 best bets at Kempton and Newcastle
RECOMMENDED READING:
- All the latest racing previews from France and the USA are just a click away
- Horse Racing tips: 6 William Haggas horses who can score this summer
- Horse Racing tips: 7 Flat horses to put into your tracker right now as the season resumes
