ITV Racing Tips: Saturday Each-Way Double for Newbury

The Betfair Multiples Offer Every Saturday Handicap Hurdle is a wide-open contest. West To The Bridge completed a four-timer last March and he returned to form with two placed efforts the last twice. He could go well, as could Barbados Buck’s, who appears to be running into form based on recent evidence.

Jatiluwih is lurking on a fair mark and Tom O’Brien’s presence could make a difference. He would ideally prefer softer ground though, something he won’t get this weekend. Most of the remainder ran poorly last time and have something to prove, so with all this taken into account, it is possible REGARDING RUTH (best price 15/2) could go close on her return here.

This nine-year-old mare has an absence of 645 days to overcome but she has a really good record on good ground. Her record over 2m5f or further with good in the description reads three wins from three starts and she is the only course-and-distance winner in the field.

In that victory, she beat Iwilldoit by five-and-a-half lengths and the runner-up has won his last three starts over fences - including the Welsh Grand National and the Classic Chase on his reappearance. He is now rated 150+ in that sphere, so Lucy Wadham’s charge is clearly still well-treated off 128 here.

This is a joint career-high mark for her but the fact she hasn’t been seen for a while means she is only a pound higher than when winning at Market Rasen by six lengths. In addition, she has won her last two reappearances, so fitness is unlikely to be an issue despite this being a longer absence than both those previous victories.

Also, Eddie Edge has been booked to ride, who takes off 10 pounds, and if you take his claim into consideration, this mare will compete in this off a tiny weight and be in receipt of weight from all of her opponents. Her riders claim will be a valuable asset back at the scene of her biggest success plus her trainer has her team in decent form of late as well. Excellent each-way chance.

This isn’t the strongest of renewals of the Grade 2 Denman Chase. Last year’s winner Eldorado Allen is respected on the back of a decent fourth in the King George and first-time cheekpieces is an interesting addition here. Hitman ran poorly in that formerly-mentioned race on his first try at three miles and has yet to win at graded level, so he is too short for my liking here despite Paul Nicholls record in the race.

Fanion D’estruval shaped quite well behind Into Overdrive at Wetherby and was a respectable seventh in his previous try over three miles plus in the Ladbrokes Trophy here. He could emerge as the biggest danger but at the odds, I am keen to take a chance on DOES HE KNOW (best price 7/1) will absolutely bounce on this ground.

Kim Bailey’s charge developed into a very smart novice chaser last term, winning three times, including a Grade 2 over this trip when collecting the Reynoldstown Novices' Chase. That was on unfavourable soft ground, so his performance can be marked up, despite the opposition looking weak at the time.

The only time he ran below form was when down the field in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival but I put that down to his lack of experience in a large field as he seemed intimidated by the task he was handed, given he had done all of his previous chase starts in single file company. He is very effective on good ground, which is what he will get here, and his form on good reads 11121 from five starts.

His only previous visit here saw him throw himself out of the race in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle but he has won at this level over hurdles and over fences. He fell on his return at Kelso in a race where Sounds Russian won but he proved that didn’t leave a mark when he produced a classy weight-carrying performance at Cheltenham when last spotted. He jumped really well, looking more confident than ever, and stayed on strongly to score quite smoothly.

He was giving lumps of weight to the second and third, Eva’s Oskar and Back On The Lash, and that form has a lot of substance given the pair both returned next-time-out winners since. This eight-year-old drops in trip but he’s expected to be ridden positively given he stays further and David Bass has his only ride on the card for his boss too. This will be his stiffest examination to date but a bold bid is highly anticipated with his bold jumping likely to be in full effect.

Regarding Ruth & Does He Know  1 pt - E/W  double