Jake Price's Saturday Racing Tips Featuring Newbury & Warwick

KINGSTON QUEEN 1pt Win @ 5/2

Jayne Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) – 2m3f

The Jayne Seymour moving to Warwick has attracted by in large the same field as what was due to turn up at Sandown, and whilst you can make a fair case for a few of these, the most exciting prospect to me who has plenty more to give is surely KINGSTON QUEEN.

David Pipe’s Mare was a very successful Bumper horse, as last season she picked up a Listed Bumper at Market Rasen before going onto finish third in the Grade 2 Mares Bumper at Aintree – which was clearly a very good effort. She only has two starts over hurdles under her belt so far this season however, and both look like solid pieces of form.

Making her hurdles debut at Chepstow in November over 2m3½f, the Mare was absolutely smashed in the betting overnight, and she ended up going off the even money favourite. Jumping nicely from a prominent position she kicked clear at the second last, and then scooted away under hands and heels to beat subsequent Grade 2 winner Kripticjim (135) as well as subsequent winner Modern Man (127).

At that point connections understandably wanted to find out if she was a Mares Novices’ Hurdle contender, so they decided to drop her back in trip to 2m1f at the Cheltenham December meeting. She was actually sent off the 2/1f that day despite the change in distance, but something connections could not account for was bumping into now Supreme favourite Old Park Star (151) – who absolutely bolted up. She still stayed on well enough for third place, but it was clear to see that she was very much outpaced.

Connections have given her plenty of time to get over that run, and you would imagine that the Jayne Seymour was always a target – so they must have been very happy to see the race rescheduled. Although she is only rated 125 over hurdles at the moment, she has to be a lot better than that, and this is the perfect opportunity to prove my theory correct. David Pipe has been in good form recently to boot.

LET IT RAIN 1pt Win @ 11/4

William Hill Hurdle (Premier) – 2m½f

I won’t spend too long on the case for LET IT RAIN here, but in what looks a very below par renewal of this Handicap Hurdle she surely has to have a massive chance. As a Bumper horse she absolutely bolted up in a Listed contest which also contained Celtic Dino, and going into last season she was very short in the Ante-Post betting for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

She began her Hurdles campaign with what now looks like a very good effort at Chepstow when second to French Ship (146), but whilst effortlessly getting off the mark at Wetherby on her next outing when sent off 2/9f, she unfortunately struck into herself and was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. Even the form of that easy 8 length success has since been boosted too, with the second Rockola Vogue now rated 128.

When she finally returned after a 387 day absence at Ascot in December she would have taken your eye out, as running off a mark of 120 she travelled up powerfully under Harry Skelton. You would imagine that the plan that day was not to be given too hard a race, and with any sort of race fitness she would have definitely won – but she still ran very well for third behind Dance And Glance (121) and subsequent winner All In You (127). As with our previous selection I like that they have been patient in getting her back to the course, but a 4lbs rise should not be enough to stop her this time.

KNIGHT OF ALLEN 1pt Win @ 9/2

Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Class 3) – 2m7½f

This looks an interesting Novice Handicap, but with Ben Pauling unsure if Jig’s Forge stays three miles and Itseemslikeit’s first preference being Uttoxeter, it looks quite accessible. Considering he is already a course winner in December, I thought that KNIGHT OF ALLEN was well worth chancing here now stepping back up in trip to 2m7½f.

This horse proved he stays trips like this at Chepstow on Chase debut in October, where despite being 12lbs wrong at the weights he ran the race fit Coco Mademoiselle (139) close on ground that was far too quick. The good thing about running in that Novices’ Chase was that the handicapper could not touch his mark however, and as such he was a very nicely treated animal when running in that aforementioned 2m4f Handicap Chase on his second attempt over fences. He certainly did his best work in the closing stages that day when staying on nicely, and the horse he beat Aviation won this week at Kempton.

Jane Williams sent KNIGHT OF ALLEN to another competitive Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, and against better horses he was clearly found out over the 2m4½f trip. Miami Magic (142) bounced back to form when beating Regent’s Stroll (145) and Califet En Vol (137), but our lad completely tailed himself off at the bottom of the hill. He really did stay on strongly up the hill however, and in the end he finished in fourth place, only 5 lengths behind the first three.

At this stage in his career he needs a three mile Handicap Chase to unlock any further improvement, and off an unchanged mark of 127 I still think he has plenty of scope to do so. The soft ground could well be a help to him too, as although he has mainly raced on quicker conditions lately, he has also finished second in a Listed Juvenile Hurdle on heavy ground, and he chased home Steel Ally on Soft ground at Haydock last season.

FINGLE BRIDGE 1pt Win @ SP

Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) – 2m5f

The Novice Hurdle form of Olly Murphy’s FINGLE BRIDGE looks extremely good when you look back on it now, and although connections have seemingly put a halt to his chasing career, he has a huge chance here if running up to that sort of level.

In his Maiden Hurdle at Uttoxeter he readily beat Koukeo (123) by 8 lengths, in a Novice Hurdle under a penalty he then beat Wellington Arch (132), but his performance in the Listed Novice Hurdle at Exeter on this weekend 12 months ago was an extremely good performance that could not have worked out much better.

The worry on the day was whether the ground was testing enough, but in spite of that he stayed on strongly to the line to beat subsequent Aintree Grade 1 second Regent’s Stroll (145), subsequent Aintree Grade 1 winner Julius Des Pictons (138), and subsequent Greatwood Hurdle winner Alexei (148). Now clearly some of those horses have improved massively since that Exeter run, but I don’t think our lad has done much wrong in the interim period either.

Making his Chase debut at Exeter in November, he ended up running in one of the better Beginners’ Chase contests that we saw in the Autumn – where Lulamba (157) got off to a perfect start over the

larger obstacles. Sean Bowen never really put his mount into the race, but he stayed on well for second place, and he even had subsequent dual Grade 2 winner Salver (149) behind. His next start saw him go to Uttoxeter, and in a match race he was very much going to beat Phantomofthepoints before that horse fell at the third last.

He was very well fancied when running up at Ayr on the 13th January, but having travelled all over his rivals he made a bad mistake at the last which cost him a winning chance. Meetmebythesea (139) found plenty to go and win it, but FINGLE BRIDGE did not disgrace himself in third place. Now perhaps all connections are doing here is protecting his Chase mark for the Jack Richards, but the fact they go back to the well 25 days later fascinates me, and he clearly has a huge chance off his mark of 139. Olly Murphy continues to operate to a very high level.