Aug 28, 2025

Race preview: Saturday 30 August 2025

David Hucker
Racing correspondent

Stables and studs up and down the country have been opening their doors for National Racehorse Week and another big crowd is expected at Newton Abbot on Saturday when the Class 2 Aubrey Loze Memorial Handicap Hurdle is the feature on a six-race card.

Irish-trained Feud carries top weight for this £30,000 contest and comes here in good form, having gone down by just a neck to Mercury Mission at Wexford last time. He will need to be in top form to give weight to all his rivals which include My Chiquita, who was let down by her jumping when runner-up at Worcester, and dual course winner Al Sayah.

Queens Venture, who is trained by Dan Skelton, has seen a 9lb rise in her rating for a wide-margin win at Stratford last month and right at the bottom of the weights is Ffos Las winner Balkardy who shouldn’t be far away.

First up is the Devon Air Ambulance Mares’ Maiden Hurdle due off at 2.15pm which could go to Never Told Me, who is having her third outing for trainer Fergal O’Brien. Tongue-tied for the first time, she has to give 19lbs to the three-year-old Manyana Blue who has twice come up against the unbeaten Dignam, including over the course last month.

Howth, a winner of three of his four hurdle races since joining trainer Tom Lacey, looks the one to beat in the Harry & Peg’s Silver Wedding Anniversary Novices’ Hurdle. He beat Max Of Stars by 17 lengths in a handicap over the course on his last run and his official rating of 128 puts him clear of his rivals, the best of whom may be Uttoxeter winner Saratoga Lass.

Paul Nicholls runs Centara from his two entries in the John Price Memorial Chase Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase and this confirmed front-runner will be seeking his fifth win in a row over fences this summer. The Skelton-trained Got Grey won at the first time of asking over fences at Worcester and dual hurdles winner Breaking Cover also had an entry in the previous race, but didn’t show much in his previous chase starts. Dual chase winner Obsessedwithyou is also declared at Fontwell Park on Friday evening.

Course and distance winners Feel The Pinch and Gore Point are amongst the nine runners for the Eoin Mullen Memorial Handicap Hurdle, but this may go to Turpin Gold, twice a winner already this season, who can complete a double for trainer Tom Lacey and jockey Stan Sheppard.

Blackacre, who finally broke his duck at the last meeting, runs again in the closing On Course Bookmakers Novices’ Handicap Chase which also sees My Girl Katie and Testflight renew rivalry.

Gates open two hours before the first race and entry to the course enclose costs £13 with children admitted free.