Dave Nevison: My top horse racing tips for Newbury on Friday

We have a really good card at Newbury on Friday afternoon and three horses from big yards that are stepping up in trip in handicaps look to have really strong opportunities.

3.40 Newbury: Dargiannini

The step up to three miles has been quite a long time coming but, given everything in his pedigree points to him being a real stayer, is probably long overdue.

Dargiannini has perhaps not had the season that might have been expected after his bumper and novice hurdle wins for former trainer Harry Whittington last season, while he disappointed me when I joined in a gamble on him at Ascot in December. However, that poor effort coincided with the time when the Paul Nicholls horses generally were out of form.

The yard is in much better form now and Dargiannini soon made amends after that Ascot effort with a really good run when third - beaten less than a length - at Kempton last time out. I expect him to be relaxed up with the pace over this trip, which might also help his sometimes slightly suspect jumping.

Dargiannini is the only one in this field trying something different and if the step up in trip does work he could be really well handicapped.

4.15 Newbury: Duc De Beauchene

Duc De Beauchene looks to have been brought along steadily to land a handicap such as this - and it is difficult to see why this would not be the day for him.

The last time he ran in a 0-125 grade handicap he won at Cheltenham in autumn 2019 over a similar trip to this one. His latest two runs have been over the minimum trip which he has never won over and he certainly looked as though he was ready for going back up in trip at Hereford last time. Duc De Beauchene was weak in the market, but made up a lot of ground from the rear without being knocked about and it very much looked as though he was ready to win in due course.

As ever in these colours, a cautionary look at the market is wise but I fully expect him not to be a drifter in the betting here.

4.50 Newbury: Blairgowrie

Blairgowrie is another one stepping up to a trip more in keeping with his pedigree - which is full of horses who act over three miles and further - and he can be expected to reap the benefits.

This expensive purchase has been a beaten favourite on three of his five runs, including once at odds-on, but I feel there are genuine excuses for most of those disappointments (admittedly I have not been on and may think differently if I had) and certainly last time he was too far back and couldn’t possibly make up the ground in very heavy conditions.

Blairgowrie is upped to three miles here on good to soft ground which may help, while he has been dropped 2lbs from an already generous mark. I feel he will benefit from a big galloping track such as Newbury and may arguably be a 'good thing' here.