Newbury Racing Tips: Brave Kingdom to rule

• A Newbury NAP and Next Best from Timeform

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Newbury Nap - 13:25 - Back Brave Kingdom

Brave Kingdom showed ability as a novice hurdler, winning two of his three starts, and he improved on that form at the first attempt over fences, winning a novice handicap at Plumpton on his first start for nearly two years.

Brave Kingdom may have been off for a long time but his performance at Plumpton shows he retains all his ability, and there was a lot to like about how he went through that contest, impressing with his strong-travelling style and fluent jumping.

There should be even better to come from Brave Kingdom with that under his belt and a 5 lb rise in the weights may not be enough to stop him following up.

Newbury Next Best - 15:10 - Back Hecouldbetheone

Hecouldbetheone, a dual winner over hurdles for Gary Moore in the 2021/22 campaign, missed all of last season but he wasn't disgraced bearing in mind that absence when fifth in a Plumpton handicap hurdle on his reappearance and first start for Chris Gordon last month.

Hecouldbetheone then shaped much better than a 12-length fifth would suggest when fifth over this course and distance on his chasing debut a few weeks ago, proving competitive for a long way in a novice handicap that is usually a warm race and one to follow.

Hecouldbetheone was headed after the second-last having jumped boldly and raced with plenty of enthusiasm at the head of affairs, but he was still only around two lengths down in third when stumbling on landing at the final fence.

He showed enough there to suggest he's on a decent mark and capable of better as a chaser, so looks worth siding with in a race that contains rivals who are promising but probably of a lesser calibre than a few he faced last time.