How’s it going?
Got your summer shorts out of the drawer yet? 🌤️
The Paddock Report Team – while trying last year’s shorts for size – managed to hand their racing homework in on time…
One Eye On The Jumps
Newbury stage their final jumps meeting of the season on Saturday.
Constitution Hill is set for his second Flat race at Kempton on Wednesday. Ryan Moore is booked to ride.
Jockey Brian Hughes is sidelined with a broken leg 🤕
The weather is set fair for the weekend - 99% no rain.
There are 20 days until the Grand National.
There are 34 days until the end of the jumps season.
One Eye On The Flat
There are 8 days until the start of the Flat season.
That means it’s the time of year when early muscle flexing takes place between connections of horses going for the big Classic races (Guineas, Derby)…
"I don't think we've ever had a horse as quick" - trainer Aidan O'Brien on the unbeaten Albert Einstein, who goes for May’s 2,000 Guineas (Racing Post).
Also going for the 2,000 Guineas is John Gosden’s Publish. The yard’s racing manager said: "He’s a horse we've always liked…he seems to be in good shape" (At The Races).
O’Brien also mentioned his 1,000 Guineas hope, Diamond Necklace: "She’s made great progress from two to three...more likely to go for the French Guineas."
The Dubai World Cup on 28 March is still set to go ahead.
Music, beverages and racing - bliss, right? Newmarket has the following acts booked this summer: Madness, Craig David, Jessie J, and The Kaiser Chiefs 🎸
The Weekend’s Big Races
We’ve picked the bones out of three big races.
By looking back at past runnings of these races, we’ve highlighted the Pros and Cons most winners had in their profiles.
These can include a horse’s age, odds or winning form during their last three runs.
Use the clues to find the winner yourself, or jump straight to the paddock short-list.
🧱 Bet Builder Club
Remember Bob The Builder?...
‘Can we fix it, yes we can.’ 👷
Like Bob, our bet building team has sorted Saturday’s runners to ‘make the frame’.
1.30 Kelso Eloi Du Puy - Placed 4 times from 5 in a 2m5f hurdle at Kelso
1.37 Bangor French Emperor - Placed 4 times from 6 at a left-handed track
1:50 Newbury Storming George - Placed all 4 times in Class 3 or lower races
2.25 Newbury Prairie Wolf - Placed 3 times from 3 during the month of March
2.40 Kelso Glen Road - Placed 3 times from 5 over 2m5½f or further
3.20 Bangor Aurigny Mill - Placed 6 times from 8 following a 16 to 60-day break
4.17 Navan Magic McColgan - Placed 3 times from 4 under Paul Townend
4.17 Navan Rokathir - Placed 4 times from 5 under Darragh O’Keeffe
4.38 Southwell Fahrenheit Seven - Placed 9 times from 11 in races less than £20k
4.45 Newbury Some Scope - All 5 wins on good/good to soft ground
7.00 Newcastle Mr Nugget - Placed 3 times from 3 over 1m-1m½f
7.30 Newcastle Liverpool Star - 5 of the trainer’s last 6 runners made the top four
8.30 Newcastle Pit Boss - Placed the last 5 times wearing blinkers
As always, find the bookies with extended place odds.
For instance, in Kelso’s 1.30, there are place odds for a ‘Top 8 Finish’.
Combining them in an acca can bump those odds up…
The Traitors (Favourites To Avoid)
Not all favourites win.
Here are a couple that may be worth taking on this weekend…
2.15 Bangor – Bo Cruz
Won his last two on soft ground, but the ground is drying out.
2.25 Newbury - Heltenham
Looks to win this race for the third time, but yet to win off this handicap mark.
Home In On Harry
The trainers Harry Derham and Harry Fry are in hot form 🔥
Derham’s Saturday runners are:
1.37 Bangor Karma Police
3.35 Newbury Lover Desbois
3.48 Kelso Le Frimeur
4.10 Newbury Escapeandevade
Fry’s Saturday runner is:
1.00 Kelso Star Walking
Saturday’s Stat Sheet
We’ve made it easy with our Stat Sheet, taking you through Saturday in time order.
The sheet points up well-researched angles for each chosen race.
The Purist
All The Purist’s eggs go into one basket via a pure and simple approach.
Jockey Sean Bowen is a man on a mission.
He’s aiming for 250 winners this season. He has until 25 April, and is currently approaching 220 winners.
On Wednesday, Bowen rode a treble, and has a live book of chances at Newbury on Saturday.
The Purist thinks he can hit the bullseye…
Bowen’s Saturday rides:
1.50 Newbury Red Oak
2.25 Newbury Coastguard Station
3.00 Newbury Queenofthejukebox
3.35 Newbury Madam Speaker
4.45 Newbury Elysian Knight
We Almost Forgot…
Marine Nationale, Leader d’Allier, Salvator Mundi and Narciso Has all missed Cheltenham but could go to Aintree.
Sixmilebridge heads to Fairyhouse at Easter.
Fact To File may appear at Aintree or Fairyhouse – if there is rain.
Trainer Chris Gordon has a good record at Newbury’s Jumps Finale meeting. His Kocktail Bleu (1.15) could get punters off to a flyer.
Freddie Gingell’s last nine rides all finished in the top three. On Saturday he rides Scarface (2.25 Newbury) & No Way Jay (3.35 Newbury).
📺 Quick TV Guide
► ITV4 (free): Newbury 1.15, 1.50, 2.25, 3.00, 3.35; Kelso 1.00, 1.30, 2.10, 2.40; Bangor-On-Dee 3.20.
► Sky Sports Racing (free): Bangor-On-Dee, Newbury, Newcastle, Southwell.
► Racing TV (subscription): Carlisle (Sun), Kelso, Limerick (Sun), Naas (Sun), Navan.
The Flat season starts at Doncaster next Saturday.
The headline act is the Lincoln. We’ll have a stats special for that big betting race in your inbox next Friday.
Until then…
..keep ‘em peeled 👀
The Paddock Report Team.