Horse Racing Tips: Mick Fitzgerald’s Best ITV Racing Picks at Newbury on Saturday

Mick guides us through the action at Newbury after Newcastle was forced to call off its Saturday meeting.

Mick Fitzgerald’s ITV Racing Rips

13:40 Newbury – Cobblers Dream (each-way)
14:15 Newbury – Under Control
14:50 Newbury – Monbeg Genius
15:25 Newbury – Xcitations

*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.

13:40 Newbury – Cobblers Dream (each-way)

I have gone far a value selection in the opening race on ITV with COBBLERS DREAM (each-way). He tried chasing but it just didn’t really work out for him. If you look through some of his best form though – it reads really well.

He was a good second at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival to Banbridge in the Martin Pipe Conditional Hurdle and with a recent run under his belt, he’s very interesting in this 2m 4f hurdle contest.

 

14:15 Newbury – Under Control

Nicky Henderson’s four-year-old returns after a stellar season – winning three times including the Novices’ Championship final at Sandown on the last day of the season. The form of that win was franked in no uncertain terms by the runner-up Iberico Lord winning the Greatwood Hurdle in a canter.

UNDER CONTROL has had a wind operation also to help her breathing, so she could be really smart. Hansard will be more forward after his run at Wincanton and is a major danger and will serve it up to the fav. I was tempted to take her on with him, but have bottled it.

14:50 Newbury – Monbeg Genius

Jonjo O’Neill’s promising seven-year-old pulled up at Ascot on reappearance, but not a lot went right for him that day. MONBEG GENIUS kept getting hampered by another horse and eventually got sandwiched between a pair of horses and was badly hampered again.

His jockey did the right thing and pulled him up so as not to persevere with what was becoming a bad experience. A reproduction of his Cheltenham Festival run when third to subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler and dual Grade One winner in Ireland, Fastorslow, gives him a major chance carrying just 10st 6lbs.

He always needs his first run of the season anyway so should strip fitter now. I am a fan of Mahler Mission but trainer John McConnell has had a poor run of form, which has seen him go 51 days without a winner and that’s not ideal.

Dusart wears cheek pieces on now and looked really sharp when schooling over fences on Thursday and has also had a racehorse gallop ahead of his seasonal debut. He could run into the places at a very nice price.

 

15:25 Newbury – Xcitations

Trying to predict whether XCITATIONS runs well or not has been a bug bear for me, but some of his form is really strong.

Master Chewy was very unlucky that the three fences in the straight at Aintree were left out because that cost him victory as jumping is his strong point. He was pipped by Djelo (who won here again on Friday), so holds Real Stone on that running, but Real Stone was impressive when winning at Haydock last week, so may improve again.

I am sticking with Xcitations who did very well to win at Sandown last time.

Saturday’s racing tips

13:40 Newbury – Cobblers Dream (each-way)
14:15 Newbury – Under Control
14:50 Newbury – Monbeg Genius
15:25 Newbury – Xcitations

*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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