Saturday Racing Cheat Sheet: Best bets for Newbury and Warwick plus Paul Nicholls insight

• Saturday Racing Cheat Sheet for Newbury and Warwick

• Tips from Daryl Carter, Kevin Blake and more

• Read Paul Nicholls' exclusive insight

• Our Cheltenham offer is live! Get a completely free bet every weekend until the Festival

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Saturday Racing Superboost

The Paul Nicholls-trained Bravemansgame is well fancied to win today's Denman Chase at Newbury (14:25), a venue where has has won all three of his career starts at the track. And today you can back him to finish in the top three at the super-boosted price of 1/12.00, from 4/91.44.

To take advantage of this price boost just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

*Please Note. The superboost is provided by the Betfair Sportsbook and not by any of our tipsters or writers.

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Watch Paul Nicholls discuss his Saturday runners...

An extremely busy Saturday for Team Ditcheat with 17 runners across 3 tracks with Bravemansgame a highlight in the 'Denman chase' at 2.25 for Betfair ambassador @PFNicholls pic.twitter.com/aPmVhjxMZF

-- Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) February 7, 2025

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Saturday horse racing tips and insight

13:30 Warwick - Katie Midwinter says: Got Grey is worth keeping the faith in

Katie Midwinter: "Six-year-old gelding Got Grey made a fantastic start for his new yard after joining Dan Skelton's from Helen Nelemes in the summer. He was able to record comfortable successes in both of his first two starts, before finishing second to Saint Riquier at Market Rasen.

"Despite failing to perform in either of his previous two outings, now significantly higher in the weights, it could prove worth sticking with this likeable type, who makes his first appearance following wind surgery.

"Whilst his limitations may have been exposed recently, it's also plausible he was feeling the effects of a busy period and races became harder to win with things not quite going in his favour. This was the case at Hexham in which he was forced extremely wide and was unable to make an impression on the run-in.

"The Dan Skelton-trained contender is only 3lb higher than when finishing second at this level in September, therefore, he's capable of being competitive from his current mark of 116 under Charlie Todd.

"Now fresh from a break, having had wind surgery and dropping back down in class, there's enough in his favour that should allow Got Grey to return to form and resume his progress. The son of Outstrip has come into his own this term, showing plenty of progression in an excellent vein of form.

"Got Grey is worth keeping the faith in, and he can bounce back.

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14:05 Warwick - Paul Nicholls says: Great opportunity for chase experience for Rubaud

Paul Nicholls: "He took a tired fall at the last fence in the Wayward Lad at Kempton over Christmas where he was taking on two aeroplanes.

"He has done a lot of schooling since, jumped brilliantly at home on Thursday morning and has always shaped as if he would make a chaser. Life is hard for horses like Rubaud with no beginner chases for him so he might as well get some more experience at Warwick where drying ground will help."

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14:25 Newbury - Paul Nicholls says: This looks an ideal race for Bravemansgame

Paul Nicholls: "Both of mine should run well in this given that they do not have to carry any penalties. Bravemansgame had two hard races earlier in the season and I don't think he was quite at his best in the King George VI Chase at Kempton where he paid the price for chasing the free-running Il Est Francais.

"I've freshened him up since then, taken off the blinkers and am fitting a tongue tie at the suggestion of Harry Cobden. This looks an ideal race for Bravemansgame's final start before the Grand National."

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14:40 Warwick - Mark Milligan says: Gala Marceau is a confident selection

Mark Milligan: "Willie Mullins' Gala Marceau isn't a big price but she's one of the most likely winners on the Warwick card and is a confident selection to land this listed mares' hurdle.

"The six-year-old daughter of Galiway hasn't been seen since finishing second to stable companion Lossiemouth at Punchestown in May, but fitness is rarely an issue with runners from her all-conquering yard and she meets nothing of that calibre here.

"She hasn't won since triumphing at Auteuil in May 2023, but she's run plenty of good races in defeat since then and the conditions of this race suit her down to a tee, particularly when you bear in mind she gets 4lb off You Wear It Well, who's officially rated 5lb inferior.

"A bigger danger may well be Dan Skelton's West Balboa, who has the benefit of first-time cheekpieces in an effort to sharpen her up a bit.

"She showed really solid form last season but it's probably fair to say she's been a bit off it so far this term, though there was a bit more promise in her last run, where she finished fourth in handicap company at Doncaster.

"However, that form is a fair bit off that which Gala Marceau is capable of at her best and I'm a little surprised the Willie Mullins filly is still available at odds against."

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15:35 Newbury - Kevin Blake says: Joyeuse my best bet of the day

Kevin Blake: "In terms of my strongest fancy on ITV Racing on Saturday, that comes in the valuable William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Newbury (15:35). One would hope that a handicap hurdle worth £155,000 would attract a strong field and it duly has with 18 runners having been declared to fight it out for the pot on offer.

"There is great depth and quality all the way down through the field, but the fact that the JP McManus-owned Iberico Lord has been declared to carry top weight of 12-0 helps ensure that his owner's other representative, the Nicky Henderson-trained Joyeuse, sneaks in off a relative featherweight of 10-7 is unlikely to be a coincidence. Once one starts to delve into the form of Joyeuse, the case for her only gets stronger.

"The six-year-old is the least exposed runner in this field having had just three runs over hurdles to date. The most interesting and relevant of those three runs came on her latest outing when she contested a very competitive mares' handicap hurdle at Cheltenham in December.

"Having travelled well, she didn't get the clearest of runs at a crucial juncture in the race, but still ran on to great effect to run the well-handicapped Wodhooh to 1¾ lengths. The winner is well regarded by Gordon Elliott and is likely to be a leading fancy for one of the handicap hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival while the third-placed Take No Chances has already boosted the form by lowering the colours of Kargese in a Grade 2 mares' hurdle at Ascot on her next start.

"With that having been just her third run over hurdles, the case for her making natural improvement is obvious and such is the strength of that form that a 4lb rise in the weights might not be enough to stop her. She is likely to have been aimed at this race for quite some time and the drop in trip doesn't seem likely to inconvenience her. She has just the right type of profile for this race and a big effort should be forthcoming from her."

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16:10 Newbury - Daryl Carter says: Lord Of Thunder rates as a good bet on Saturday

Daryl Carter: "Lord Of Thunder looks like a winner in waiting from this rating in the 120s following a bounce-back effort behind the subsequent Grade 1 Scilly Isles winner Handstands at Ffos Las. He did remarkably well to finish second, having been badly hampered by a faller at the seventh, but he stuck to the task well and chased home the winner, who was always well-positioned and is now rated 154.

"He deserved a strong markup for that performance, having been poorly placed at the rear of the field in a slowly run affair and unfavoured by the weights. He is now eight pounds better off with Saint Davy and he would now recieve 24lb from the winner Handstands if they met in this contest rather than the five he got.

"His run at Cheltenham in October, when travelling strongly before coming down, suggested he was ahead of the handicapper when things fall correctly.

"This track should suit him, with a long home straight allowing him to be smuggled into the race. While this is a deep contest, he must be ahead of the assessor on all known evidence. The move up in distance for the first time is a big positive for the son of Getaway. There is a big handicap in him, and today could be the day. He has never felt maximum pressure from his jockey in all starts under rules so there is surely more to come."

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