Expect Some Drama in Saturday's National Hunt Card at Newbury

You can expect more attention and even bigger betting volume at Newbury on Saturday now that the Newcastle card has been cancelled.

There is some really intriguing stuff set to unfold and the going appears to be rated as good to soft, which shouldn’t really throw off much of the existing odds.

12:25

There’s a massive field set to line up for the opener here and it’s going to be one of the trickier races happening anywhere in the UK and Ireland on Saturday. The three high-weights look head and shoulders above the rest of the field and, of them, it appears as though Tony McCoy and top-weight ANDHAAR look the strongest play.

He only gives eight pounds to the rest of the field and he’s shown consistent form on the novice hurdle circuit in the past. Those looking for an outsider contender will likely move towards Paul Nicholls’ The Reformer and he enters the race having finished second in his only two career outings.

12:55

This one is a slightly more approachable race and there really isn’t much between these contenders in terms of ratings and form. VAMIZI looks the early play and he’s finished second in his past two and looks set to progress here. He was a beaten favourite last time out at Exeter and he really didn’t miss by too much there when he scored a career-high 117 Official Rating. Pheidias has been knocking on the door for a while and could make his presence known here.

1:30

We’ve got a handicap chase for novices’ set to go 2m6f110y and there is a full 26 entrants in this one and, though several of them boast very good records, the standout play looks to be ELYSIAN ROCK who comes out from the Mouse Morris yard and seeks his second on the bounce after scoring at Cork on November 14. He’s well suited to the going and tends to flourish in and around this distance, though he may prefer the surface to be as soft as possible.

2:00

A field of 19 is set to contest this intermediate hurdle that runs over 2m110y and Paul Nicholls’ ADVISOR looks to be the best option as he is the sole entry boasting a course and distance reference. He picked that up against a novice field but showed plenty of class along the way. He had a crack at the JCB Triumph Hurdle and it was rather forgettable for him but a step up to Grade 1 level that early probably wasn’t the best course of action. He’s won off the layoff before and will be looking sharp for this race.

2:30

This race is easily one of the premier races we’ll see this weekend and you just know that everybody is going to be on BIG BUCK’S for this one. There are few geldings in the game that can get the job done as consistently and thoroughly as this talented son of Cadoudal.

Unbeaten since January of 2009, he won’t have the luxury of Ruby aboard so you might see a few punts against him- hopefully we’ll see plenty as Noel Fehily looks an able deputy for Paul Nicholls’ charge. Kayf Aramis looks a decent shout for the runner-up slot.

3:05

We’ve gone into plenty of detail in our other features on the Hennessy Gold Cup Chase so feel free to check those out by clicking the box on the upper left side of the page. DENMAN looks to be the play, even giving up more than a stone to the opposition, and you can read all about our potential spoiler selections and who might factor into the forecast.

3:40

The final race on the card is a class 2 handicap chase and the top-weighted PASCO looks a step ahead of the competition here. Paul Nicholls’ generally hits well with top-weights and this rather obscure Swiss-bred jumper has tackled listed action before and acquitted himself well. The drop down in class suits him and he has a proven record of scoring after a few months off-track.