The Mandarin’s Saturday Selections for 8th February 2025

The Mandarin’s Newbury Park Racecard & Selections from Warwick

Newbury Park

William Hill Proper Prices Novices’ Hurdle 1.15
Kientzheim
Nicky Henderson can take the opener on the Newbury card with Kientzheim. Bought by JP McManus and sent to the Seven Barrows yard, she won cosily at Kempton on Boxing Day, and with softer ground here there should be more to come, with winning form from France on heavy going already in the book. Paul Nicholls has plenty of depth in his team for Saturday’s Newbury meeting, and Tutti Quanti rates the main danger to Kientzheim, but does have to give the mare 3lbs. Gold and Green of JP McManus to taste first blood.

William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle 1.50
Haiti Couleurs
Haiti Couleurs has been kept over fences this season, and has made a good start to the campaign with wins at Cheltenham and Aintree. Making his first start in a handicap hurdle, Rebecca Curtis can protect his mark over fences, while getting a run into him before a stab at the Grade One Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival. Equally proficient over timber, Haiti Couleurs can defy top-weight and go in, chiefly at the expense of the useful Up For Parole.

William Hill Bet10 Get10 On Racing Denman Chase (Grade 2) 2.25
Djelo (nap)
Horses for courses is the order of the day, as Bravemansgame looks to make it four from four at Newbury Park. However, he’s not been seen at his best so far this campaign, with his usual pin-sharp fencing not in evidence, though to be fair, he probably went too much after Il Est Francais in the King George at Kempton last time out, and inevitably paid the price. Djelo, by contrast to Bravemansgame, is totally unexposed at this trip, and having course form too makes him an interesting contender, with this soft ground just the ticket. Paul Nicholls also runs Hitman, second in this race last year but does lack the strike rate of his stablemate, Bravemansgame. These are the three, but Djelo has younger legs and can score for the in-form Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch team. An exotic looks tempting.

William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Game Spirit Chase (Grade 2) 3.00
Matata (nb)
With the exciting Sir Gino ruled out with a hind leg niggle, Matata makes plenty of appeal for this Grade 2. It was notable that Nicky Henderson was ready to send Sir Gino out into open company on just his second start over fences, before he lines up in the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival, such is the impression that he made at Kempton on his chasing bow. That leaves the Seven Barrows handler looking to get a run into Sir Gino before the big date in March. In his absence, Matata can get upsides of both Alan King’s Edwardstone and Evan Williams’s Libberty Hunter, who will both relish this ground, so a super contest is lined up even without Sir Gino taking his place. Matata to go in for Nigel Twiston-Davies, with the newly retained jockey JJ Slevin up top an added plus.

William Hill Hurdle (Premier Handicap) 3.35
Secret Squirrel
Hughie Morrison’s Secret Squirrel finally delivered on all his promise when scoring at Windsor last month, atoning for a last fence fall at Ascot in December. In fairness, Fiercely Proud looked like winning that race in any event, but Secret Squirrel was still in the mix and made no mistake next time, so can defy the 5lb penalty for that win. Alan King’s Favour And Fortune will be happy in ground with this much cut in it, and should go well on Newbury’s flattish track, though has some lengths to make up on Secret Squirrel from their Ascot clash, so Nicky Henderson’s Joyeuse is likely to be the one to take the fight to our selection. Secret Squirrel to get the better of Joyeuse, with Harry Derham’s Washington the each-way angle.

William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase 4.10
Lord Of Thunder
No match for Handstands when they crossed swords in the Towton at Ffos Las last month, but looks solid for this for Joe Tizzard. That form from the Towton has been rubber stamped with Handstands an all the way winner in the Grade One Scilly Isles last week, and this is there for the taking for this Getaway gelding, who lines up on a very workable mark. Plenty of dangers, though, not least Warren Greatrex’s hat-trick seeking Herakles Westwood and Jonjo O’Neill’s Saint Davy, a late faller in the Towton when still in the running. Lord Of Thunder to take this step up in trip in his stride, and notch one up for the Venn Farm yard.

William Hill More Top Prices Beacons Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Listed) 4.45
Realco
It’s a pretty competitive Beacons Bumper to close the card at Newbury on Saturday, but we’ll side with Dan Skelton’s Realco for this Listed contest. Bought out of Tom Weston’s stable after an impressive win on deep ground at Uttoxeter, he made no mistake on his first run for the new yard, winning with plenty in hand at Exeter to justify a short price. That said, Henrietta Knight’s Precious Metal gets a useful weight for age allowance from the field, and won well under Lily Pinchin at Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day meeting, while Sober Glory looks for a hat-trick in bumpers for Philip Hobbs & Johnson White. Realco to land the closer in a decent race.

Warwick

Unibet Kingmaker Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) 2.05
L’eau Du Sud
Just the four lining up for the Grade 2 Kingmaker, but only one that all eyes will be on. Dan Skelton’s exciting novice chaser L’eau Du Sud has already scored at the highest level this term when tasking the Grade One Henry VIII at Sandown Park in December, and this drop in grade is expected to see the Lord Du Sud grey right on the money once again. Stablemate Riskintheground has gone off the boil recently, so Paul Nicholls’s Rubaud rates the big danger, if staying on his feet after falling in the Wayward Lad at Kempton last time out. A huge surprise is on the cards if L’eau Du Sud doesn’t win here, at a price to match that expectation.

Read Nicky Henderson’s Weekly Unibet Blog Mares’ Hurdle (Listed) 2.40
Gala Marceau
Taken on trust that Gala Marceau is tuned up on her first start since May, where she was second to Lossiemouth in the Mares Champion Hurdle. She’s gone well fresh before, and this is a marked drop in grade from that Grade One assignment at the Punchestown Festival, so if she looks ready to roll in the paddock, hard to oppose. You Wear It Well rates the main threat, with Dan Skelton’s West Balbao also in the mix if the cheekpieces do the job, but Gala Marceau is the class act of this small field.

The Mandarin