Jun 14, 2018

Newton Abbot Race Preview - Friday 15 June 2018

Ahead of our fixture here on Friday 15 June, we look at what to expect in our race preview: Ditcheat trainer Paul Nicholls is double-handed in the feature race, but it’s the bottom weight Dream Bolt who is fancied to spoil the party and land the valuable prize for Welsh raider David Rees.

The £26,250 newtonabbotracing.com Handicap Chase (Class 2) tops the bill on the seven-race card, with the Nicholls-trained multiple scorer Alcala heading the weights. He should relish this two miles and five furlongs trip, but was beaten a long way by Cut The Corner over the course last month and may be still a little too high in the weights. However, the winner franked the form by scoring again at Stratford on Saturday and Alcala is bound to give his band of owners a run for their money. Nicholls also runs Bagad Bihoue, another with winning form over the course and distance, but the one that catches the eye is Dream Bolt down at the foot of the handicap, who won here a year ago and who has been dropped 2lbs by the handicapper since his last run in April.

Settie Hill, the choice from two entries for champion trainer Nicky Henderson, looks the one to beat in the opening Thank You Helen Enright Novices’ Hurdle over two and three-quarter miles. He was going well when unseating his jockey at the penultimate flight at Market Rasen last time and, on official ratings, should get back on the winning trail here. Paul Nicholls also had two entries in the race and relies on Ringa Ding Dong, whose weight will be reduced by the 7lb claim of champion amateur Lorcan Williams and, despite having been a beaten favourite in his last two starts, should be the one to follow Settie Hill home.

Of the others, Irish point-to-point winner Asking A Lot is an interesting contender on his first start for trainer Grace Harris and Ballydun Oscar, another recruit from Ireland, makes his British debut following a wind operation for Ben Pauling.

There was a big entry for the Racing Partnership Mares’ Handicap Hurdle over two and three-quarter miles and 15 runners stand their ground with the weights headed by Gail Haywood’s Amour d’Or, who is bidding for a course hat-trick. She is starting to build up a fan base, having received 72% of the vote for the most popular winner at the last meeting, but will need to put up a career-best effort to win again off a mark of 103.

Diakali, formerly trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, came good at the third time of asking for his new stable when winning by a wide margin at Fontwell Park under champion jockey Richard Johnson and the combination should have every chance of following up in the Class 3 Len Fowell New Chapter In Semi Retirement Novices’ Chase which carries a prize fund of £15,800. He could face most danger from Capitoul, who has won three of his last four starts, the only defeat coming when behind Ozzie The Oscar in a Class 2 race at Warwick.

There is another good-size field for the attheraces.com Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and one furlong with trainer Seamus Mullins running two, including Towcester winner Passing Dream. Alan King must be tearing his hair out trying to find a winning opportunity for Passing Call, who has finished in the first four in all nine of her races, and it may pay to take a chance on the ex-French Empreinte Reconce, who was sent off an odds-on favourite on her British debut at Newbury, and will be ridden by Aidan Coleman.

The Actuate Marketing Handicap Chase looks a competitive affair and the vote goes to Fair Frank, whose trainer David Bridgwater has opted to run him here, rather than at Fontwell Park tomorrow. He has to overcome a lengthy absence, not having been seen out since last November, and the race-fit Gin And Tonic could take advantage if he fails to run up to his best form.

Boomarang made a pleasing debut to finish fourth at Ffos Las and could step up to take the closing Attheraces On Sky 415 Standard National Hunt Flat Race for Wiltshire trainer Emma Lavelle, who has scored with her last two runners.