ITV Racing Tips: Monviel can secure Betfair Hurdle riches for Hobbs stable
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Betfair Super Saturday often delivers, in terms of pointers for Cheltenham, a bit more than Cheltenham Festival Trials Day and it’s always a good watch.
The Betfair Hurdle, the richest handicap hurdle run in Britain, is the highlight and is lent support by the Denman and Game Spirit Chase, if not attracting the kind of stars of more recent times, like Altior and Native River.
The Betfair Hurdle looks wide open with a smattering of intrigue provided by the Irish raiders from the stables of Emmet and Willie Mullins. The home team will be keen to see them off ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.
Newbury shares the coverage with racing from Warwick which will provide three races on the seven-race schedule. They include the Kingmaker Novices’ Chase in which the long odds-on Jonbon will get in some match practice ahead of Cheltenham.
The action kicks off at 1.10pm on ITV4 and we have previewed three of the day’s significant races in our ITV Racing Tips.
Eldorado Allen returns to try to follow up last year’s success for the Tizzard stable which has won this race four times in the last six runnings. The other two were won by Paul Nicholls. It could be the turn of Venetia Williams who saddles Fanion D’Estruval.
The eight-year-old has won twice at Newbury and produced what was a compelling piece of form when third at Wetherby in December behind Into Overdrive, receiving nearly a stone, and Sounds Russian who is now on the cusp of Gold Cup class. The return of Charlie Deutsch and first time cheekpiece should help him do the job.
Funambule Sivola is another returning winner from 2022 but he’s not been in the same form so far this season and in truth it’s very hard to get away from Greaneteen whose overall form is of a much higher level.
He won the Haldon Gold Cup in impressive fashion and, although strongly fancied for the Tingle Creek, finishing second to Edwardstone was no disgrace. He is at his best on good ground and should be able to make the most of the 15lb or more ratings advantage he has over the rest.
It’s been a very quiet season for Philip Hobbs but fortunes can take a significant turn for the better with Monviel in Britain’s richest handicap hurdle. The grey is three out of five over hurdles.
He was perhaps too inexperienced when down the field in last year’s Imperial Cup but on his sole start this season he ran out a comfortable winner of a handicap at Ascot. He was raised 10lb for that victory and that may be lenient. We will certainly find out in this edition of a race that looks wide open.
ITV Racing Schedule, Saturday, 11th February
13:30 Warwick – 2m4f handicap chase
13:50 Newbury – 3m handicap hurdle
14:05 Warwick – Warwick Mares’ Hurdle
14:25 Newbury – Denman Chase
14:40 Warwick – Kingmaker Novices’ Chase
15:00 Newbury – Game Spirit Chase
15:35 Newbury – Betfair Hurdle
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
