Newbury tips: Best bets and odds for Friday’s racing

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Horse racing correspondent Jonathan Doidge brings us tips for Friday’s action at the Berkshire track.

Friday’s Newbury Tips

• Palacio (Newbury, 12.45) – 1pt win @ 11/2 (Ladbrokes)
• No Questions Asked (Newbury, 13.50) – 1pt win @ 6/1 (bet365)
• Heltenham (Newbury 14.25) – 1pt win @ 5/1 (Betfred)
• Strong Leader (Newbury, 15.00) – 1pt win @ 5/2 (William Hill)
• Punctuation (Newbury, 15.35) – 0.5pts each-way @ 14/1 (bet365)

It’s day one of the Coral Gold Cup meeting at Newbury and we’ve got five selections from various betting sites to follow on Friday afternoon.

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Coral Racing Club Novices' Limited Handicap Chase (12.45, Newbury)

This looks competitive, in spite of the relatively small field, as all but one of the seven runners can have some sort of case made. I liked the look of PALACIO’s winning effort at Chepstow (2m, good), on his chase debut earlier this month.

He jumped well in the main, which is a must around here and he also dealt with his one mistake well, going on to win by more than eight lengths.

He acts with cut in the ground, so these slower conditions won’t be a problem. He looks pretty well treated following that success and is capable of better.

Newbury tip 1: Palacio (Newbury, 12.45) – 1pt win @ 11/2 (Ladbrokes)

Coral John Francome Novices' Chase (13.50, Newbury)

There’s another interesting small field contest for this Grade 2 race over 2m4f. It’s not easy to confidently rule out any of the sextet but at the prices on horse racing betting sites, NO QUESTIONS ASKED looks the best value option.

Ben Pauling has saddled two of the last ten winners of this race, including The Jukebox Man 12 months ago. He wouldn’t have the class of some of his opponents over hurdles but he did win three of those last season, including defying a penalty.

However, he made an immediate impact over fences, when winning decisively at Ascot at the beginning of the month (2m3f, good). This isn’t a handicap so the fact that he only went up 5lb for that is immaterial, except to say that I think he is better than his official rating of 141.

He has just 2lb to find with the leading market protagonists and the 6/1 on some betting apps at the time of writing looks too good to overlook.

Newbury tip 2: No Questions Asked (Newbury, 13.50) – 1pt win @ 6/1 (bet365)

"Join Coral Bet £10 Get £50" Handicap Chase (14.25, Newbury)

An open contest on paper and I want to stick with the tried and tested (and yes, admittedly, exposed) HELTENHAM for it. Already a C&D winner, Dan Skelton’s charge has been in the grip of the handicapper so far this season.

However, his best effort so far came when our selection Issam beat him at Wetherby (2m3½f, soft) last time. The assessor has dropped him another 2lb for that and he’s now back on his last winning mark.

He’s also had wind surgery since that run. Clearly, that’s not guaranteed to provide any advantage but even a similar effort to that latest run would put him very firmly in the picture here. I think he goes best around these galloping tracks and he looks the value in the field.

Newbury tip 3: Heltenham (Newbury 14.25) – 1pt win @ 5/1 (Betfred)

Coral Long Distance Hurdle (15.00 Newbury)

Another cracking Grade 2 race in prospect here. Impose Toi won easily at Aintree on his reappearance against a field of handicappers. His trainer, Nicky Henderson, said after that race that he’d be surprised if the JP McManus-owned gelding is a graded horse, yet here he is as the ante-post favourite for this.

They didn’t jump the last two hurdles at Aintree, which does mean there’s a natural question over the form, despite Impose Toi looking visually impressive. You do also wonder if he is just one of those who is best on his reappearance, though he has run some good races in defeat on subsequent starts.

Either way, I prefer to side with one proven at this level, last year’s winner STRONG LEADER. Olly Murphy’s charge also did not manage to win again last season after succeeding in this race but he did finish off with a very creditable second in an Aintree Grade 1.

He took a bit of getting going on his reappearance at Wetherby recently, when he stayed on strongly to win a tight three-way finish for the bet365 Hurdle (3m, good).

He is better than that performance suggests and, with cheekpieces on for just the second time in his career, he looks capable of stepping up on that and finding the level required to win this again.

Newbury tip 4: Strong Leader (Newbury, 15.00) – 1pt win @ 5/2 (William Hill)

Coral "Pipped-At-The-Post" Payouts Handicap Hurdle (15.35, Newbury)

For my final Friday selection, I’d like to take a chance on the Nicky Henderson-trained PUNCTUATION. The eight-year-old is a double-figure price on most horse racing betting apps and can be backed each-way. His best form would give him claims here and, while he was well beaten when we last saw him in the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival last March, his other two starts last year were competitive ones.

He stays two miles well on the Flat and this trip is no problem for him, while the same applies to slow ground. His trainer is brilliant at having his charges ready to hit the ground running and, while siding with him against some less exposed runners carries risks, at the prices, I think they’re worth taking, as he’s capable of finishing in the frame.

Newbury tip 5: Punctuation (Newbury, 15.35) – 0.5pts each-way @ 14/1 (bet365)

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Responsible gambling

If you plan to follow any of our Newbury tips, make sure to gamble responsibly.

It’s vital that bettors take steps to remain in control of their time and budget when using gambling sites. The same applies whether you’re using the best betting sites UK, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

• NHS Help
• GamCare
• Gamblers Anonymous

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