Horse Racing Tips: Frank Hickey’s 5 Friday ITV Racing Picks at Newbury

Top PP trader and all-round good guy Frank Hickey fancies Kandoo Kid (14:25) if the course passes a 7.30am inspection.

By / Horse Racing Tips / 12 months ago

Frank Hickey’s Newbury Racing Tips

13:15 – Wodhooh
13:50 – Hermes Allen
14:25 – Kandoo Kid
15:00 – Marie’s Rock
15:35 – Ramo

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

13:15 – Wodhooh

Wodhooh is impossible to oppose for Gordon Elliott. She is unbeaten in three starts for him after arriving with a rating of 72 from the Flat out of the for Sir Michael Stoute yard. She got her first race at Listowel in the stewards room when initially a neck second to Nurburgring and then bolted up at Punchestown under a penalty.

That is a race that has been won by the likes of Quilixios, A Wave Of The Sea and Espoir D’Allen in recent times – all future Grade One winners over hurdles. She only won a neck at Down Royal under a double penalty but was 18 lengths back to the third that day.

Of the others, Max Of Stars has won her last two but she is only rated 117, so has nearly a stone to find on ratings.

13:50 – Hermes Allen

Hermes Allen was disappointing in the Ballymore Hurdle last season but put in a better effort in the Grade One Mersey Novices Hurdle at Aintree when third behind Irish Point. Before that he had won a Grade Two at Cheltenham and the Grade One Challow Hurdle and that form worked out reasonably well.

He’s a former point-to-point winner and we know how Paul Nicholls has improved his hurdlers massively when they try fences. We can trust that he will jump satisfactorily and should take a bit of beating.

Nickle Back and Marble Sands set a decent standard on those in the field with chase experience. No Ordinary Joe was second in what looks like a red-hot Martin Pipe last year (Iroko won & Buddy One third) and there’s no reason he won’t make up into a decent chaser.

14:25 – Kandoo Kid

Frero Banbou deserves to be favourite after a fine third in the Grand Sefton Chase when well backed and is off the same mark here. Trainer Venetia Williams is still firing in the winners, but he may prefer softer ground.

Kandoo Kid is rated 129 and is a very lightly-raced seven-year-old with only eight races under rules in total. Only had the two chase starts, needing the run at Warwick when second to Nickle Back, who runs in the previous race.

He was then well backed at Newbury earlier this month over this trip and was only a beaten a neck by Galop De Chasse with 32 lengths back to Our Jet in third. Our Jet has come out and won well at Kempton this week to frank the form. Kando Kid has gone up 6lbs but looks capable of rating higher than 129.

15:00 – Marie’s Rock

Marie’s Rock is an eight-year-old and had the one start at three miles when second to Sire Du Berlais in the Grade One Liverpool Hurdle where Dashel Drasher was 25 lengths back in sixth.

She promises to be fine at the trip and while she has a mixed record first time up, she really has to be winning this if she is to be a genuine Stayers’ Hurdle contender at the Festival next March particularly as Paisley Park is 11 and Dashel Drasher is now 10.

15:35 – Ramo

The six-year-old Ramo is rated 123 and has only made nine starts over hurdles and has won three of his last four starts.

He won at Ludlow earlier this month on his reappearance off a mark of 118 and the runner-up Midnightreflection has come out and won a handicap at Ascot since off a pound higher mark and Ramo beat her easily. He has only gone up 5lbs and Venetia is still going strong.

Newbury Racing Tips

13:15 – Wodhooh
13:50 – Hermes Allen
14:25 – Kandoo Kid
15:00 – Marie’s Rock
15:35 – Ramo

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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