Dave Nevison's Saturday tips: three best bets at Newbury

After winning on her debut in a bumper at Aintree in 2023, this jumps-bred mare was confined to Listed company for her subsequent runs last season, and she performed with great credit. 

She has been kept to much lesser company over hurdles this season and won the latest of her two runs over obstacles in good style last time. She is light on experience and her form doesn’t amount to much, but she is related to a whole host of hurdlers and chasers, and I believe she will improve to a mark much higher than the 114 she starts her handicap career on here.

I see no reason to desert Mr Hope Street having tipped him on his past three starts, of which he has won the last two. 

This big, galloping track will suit him very well, and better than the short straight at Warwick which saw him win by two lengths last time. 

He is 8lb higher than that win but the long straight at will play to his strengths, and I don’t think the rise will hinder his progress through the ranks. 

Dan Skelton will no doubt move him up to three miles once the handicapper does get a grip of him over this trip, but there is still upside over this distance for now, in my opinion.

He should be absolutely spot on now after his decent run over course and distance last time out. The Coral Gold Cup was probably his main target for the first half of the season, and maybe some were disappointed with him only finishing fifth, but that was a hot race, and he is a pound lower now.

Picking up some of the same sponsors cash might just have been postponed for a short while, and with Ben Pauling in red-hot form now with four winners from his past ten runners before racing on Friday, this Grade Two-winning novice might well be primed to rise through the ranks in staying handicaps.