Jun 11, 2025

Race preview: Friday 13 June 2025

David Hucker
Racing correspondent

Friday sees the first evening meeting at Newton Abbot this season when the Ellie French Mares’ Handicap Hurdle gets the seven-race card underway at 5.35pm.

Although there are just two runners, it could still be a close one to call with Arclight, twice a winner over hurdles before a successful spell over fences in 2023 that yielded three wins including two Listed contests, up against Seeyouinmydreams, a three-time winner over hurdles. Both come from top stables and like to race prominently, so tactics could be the key and Seeyouinmydreams, who races keenly, could try to make all the running.

Hat-trick seeking Belle Le Grand has to give weight away to all her rivals in the Country Show On 9th August Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. She was a wide-margin winner at Cartmel last time and may be up to the task, although could find Amber Waves, runner-up in both her starts so far, a serious challenger in receipt of 17lbs.

Paul Nicholls runs Hugos New Horse from his two entries in the Class 3 Olympus Plant And Tool Hire Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase and this Plumpton winner has to give 16lbs to Act Of Diplomacy, still looking for his first win over fences after seven starts.

Last year’s winner Hammer Dan, who followed up at Stratford a month later, reappears after 334 days in the St Austell Brewery Handicap Hurdle over an extended three and a quarter miles. Top-weight Great d’Ange is a course winner over fences, but at the other end of the handicap is Miss Popalong, still to win after eight starts, who has been knocking on the door.

Centara, the outsider of three when a wide-margin winner at Hereford, looks to follow up in the most valuable race of the evening, the £20,000 PKF Francis Clark Summer Social Handicap Chase over two miles and half a furlong. Olly Murphy runs El Muchacho from his two entries and this well-travelled horse, who had a spell on the continent, will be ridden by Harry Cobden. Kerry Lee was another to have two entries and she has chosen Ballybeg, who is well-weighted, but his last win came at Ludlow back in January 2024.

Karannelle is a regular runner at the course, but has to be produced late and may find conceding a stone to Sassified, a course winner last summer, a tough task in the WCT Tooling Solutions Handicap Hurdle. Sassified is on a losing streak of twelve since scoring at Fontwell Park in October, but this looks a good opportunity to get back to winning ways.

Wincanton winner Marhaba Prince is one of only three with racecourse experience in the closing Newtonabbotracing.com Open National Hunt Flat Race. He moved from trainer Owen Burrows to Anthony Honeyball, but failed to follow-up for his new stable in a Listed contest at Cheltenham.

He should appreciate the drop in class and looks the one to beat, although Three Pikes, who has also changed stables, ran well to finish runner-up at Chepstow last time.