Saturday ITV racing tips: Best bets for Newbury, Warwick and Lingfield
- Scott Allen
- 30 December 2022
The final day's racing of 2022 and ITV are squeezing in eight live races, including a Grade 1, for the Planet Sport tipsters to take a swing at on Saturday, December 31.
Newbury's Challow Novices' Hurdle (1500) is the highlight of Saturday's racing, but I'm sure we'll find some other winners to get those champagne corks popping later on in the evening.
First let's have a quick list of Saturday's selections, you can find more detail on our highlighted horses further down the page.
Remember you can check out the racecards, results and live odds in the
Planet Sport racing live centre.
Happy New Year and the best of luck to you all.
Selections:
13:15 (Newbury) Only Money
13:35 (Warwick) Sporting Ace
13:50 (Newbury) Lady Adare
14:10 (Warwick) Go Steady
14:25 (Newbury) Moroder
14:40 (Lingfield) Morgan Fairy
15:00 (Newbury) Hermes Allen
15:35 (Newbury) Bold Endeavour
13:15 (Newbury) Only Money
Only Money finished a distant second on his most recent run over this C&D and a 1lb lower mark could see him build on that effort today.
The eight-year-old gets the vote from Gallic Geordie, who was going well until coming to grief at the second last at Lingfield earlier this month, while Gamaret is another to note on his chasing debut for powerful connections.
13:35 (Warwick) Sporting Ace
The progressive Langley Hundred is bound to be popular here, having won his last two under 10lb claimer Elizabeth Gale.
Preference, however, is for Sporting Ace, who ran with credit on his handicap debut at Southwell last month and was an easy winner here in May over a furlong shorter.
Cawthorne Lad looks like just the type that will improve for a stiffer test of stamina, while Last Quarter was a different proposition after wind surgery when scoring at Lingfield.
13:50 (Newbury) Lady Adare
Blenkinsop hasn't looked back since entering handicap company, which has culminated in three victories to date, but another career-best performance will be required off 8lb higher.
Lady Adare makes most appeal on this her handicap debut.
The Harry Fry-trained charge has yet to taste defeat in four starts and her opening mark may prove to be on the lenient side.
Pikar is feared most after winning at Chepstow in October, but the five-year-old will need to settle better now up in distance.
14:10 (Warwick) Go Steady
The Skelton team have a fine chance of landing the Poundland Conditional Jockeys' Veterans' Handicap Chase with Go Steady.
The 10-year-old was a seven-and-a-half-length winner over two and a half miles at Lingfield last time and although stretching out to three miles here, could score again off just a 4lb higher mark.
Others to consider include Smuggler's Blues who looked to hold every chance when falling two out at Wincanton earlier in the month. He could gain compensation at a track where he was last victorious in January, however the ground may not be ideal for Tom Geroge's charge.
Gwencily Berbas and Midnight Moss have the form to get involved as well.
14:25 (Newbury) Moroder
Moroder heads to the Coral Racing Club Mandarin Handicap Chase unbeaten in his last four runs and is backed to continue his progression in his first outing since March.
He is another who likes to go forward in his races and despite having a career-high mark to overcome, he could yet to have reached his ceiling.
Foxboro stayed on well to win at Fontwell earlier in the month after momentarily looking outpaced over the extended 2m5f trip. The Robert Walford-trained gelding may travel kinder over this longer distance and is also worth considering.
Last-time-out winners Laskalin, Tallow For Coal and Certainly Red can't be discounted.
14:40 (Lingfield) Morgan Fairy
On the all-weather at Lingfield, a drop back in trip could help Morgan Fairy return to winning ways in the talkSPORT Download The App Irish EBF Fillies' Handicap.
Although running better than the bare result may suggest over 10 furlongs in her final start of the turf season, William Haggas' three-year-old was a really consistent performer over a mile during the summer months.
Tom Marquand does the steering having recently returned from Japan and having shown a real liking for the synthetics in the past, Morgan Fairy could be the one to side with in a competitive-looking handicap.
15:00 (Newbury) Hermes Allen
Hermes Allen could cap a fine festive period for Paul Nicholls by giving the champion trainer his third-straight victory in the Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle.
The Ditcheat maestro has struck with recent King George VI Chase winner Bravemansgame and Stage Star in recent years and has had this Grade One contest earmarked for the talented Hermes Allen since he made light work of a Grade Two engagement at Cheltenham in November.
Bought for £350,000, he has looked worth every penny so far when making all in both of his outings over hurdles and he could give a bold sight from the front once again at a track where it often pays to be up with the pace and dictating the fractions.
Irish raider Joyeux Machin could be the fly in the ointment and will give Hermes Allen a real examination, but Nicholls knows what it takes to win this contest and it is telling that the son of Poliglote has been given the nod for this race over a plethora of useful stablemates.
15:35 (Newbury) Bold Endeavour
There could be success for Nicky Henderson when Bold Endeavour lines up in the concluding Coral Get Closer To The Action Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.
The six-year-old was held in high regard when trained by Laura Morgan in the early stages of his career and went some way to fulfilling his potential when strutting to a 10-length success at Leicester on his debut for Henderson.
He was given a 9lb hike for that by the assessor but the feeling is the surface is only just being scratched over fences and he could still be way ahead of the assessor.
