William Hill Hurdle 2026 Preview: Key Runners and Tips for Newbury Feature

The Newbury Handicap Hurdle - or William Hill Hurdle as it's now known - is the betting highlight of what should be an intriguing afternoon of action at Newbury this Saturday. There is a hot favourite who has been plotted for this race for some time, but she will face no shortage of potentially well in rivals. Billy Grimshaw previews the contest for us and gives his idea of the best bet...

I'll kick things off discussing the favourite Let It Rain, who runs for the Skelton yard in the sort of race in which they have become notorious for mopping up in recent years. The William Hill Hurdle (I am still getting used to calling it that not the Betfair) is the most valuable handicap hurdle taking place on these shores all season and as such, there is a stacked field set to battle it out, but few bring as strong credentials.as the 5/2 favourite. The mare is only six, very lightly raced and looks potentially chucked in off just 142 given her novice form and the promise of her sole outing this season at Ascot.

She was less than a length from victory that day in a race which has worked out well and with that effort coming on soft and when perhaps the handbrake was on a touch, it is obvious to see why she has been latched onto so heavily for months with this race in mind. As a scribe penning a day of race preview, however, I just cannot recommend a bet on her at 5/2 or shorter given the depth in the field and the heavy ground Newbury looks likely to dish up. If you are on at bigger prices, happy days. If you fancy sticking her in a to win today and X race at the Festival bet, I won't put you off, but I will not be backing her now having missed the fancy prices.

Un Sens A La Vie looks almost certainly well in given his form behind the rocket that is Old Park Star and he's clearly been put away for the race by team Twiston-Davies. Nigel knows how to get the job done in this race, winning it three times in the past with the most recent Al Dancer in 2019, but I worry about the ground for this Muhtathir gelding. Newbury is renowned as one of the fairest tracks but for this free going horse who likes to lead, I can see a few coming to nab him close home if Sam attempts to make all.

In the last 12 renewals younger horses have come to the fore, with 10 victories for five or six year olds, and I do give top weight Tutti Quanti a squeak with Harry Cobden in the plate. He fits the bill age wise - as do the other two horses I've mentioned so far - and is like Un Sens A La Vie a front runner. I couldn't put you off him each-way given he has course form and has won here on soft, but with 12 stone on his back in this potential bog I can see one or two finishing faster than him.

Hot Fuss is only five and beat The Hardest Geezer last time out, so I'd expect that form to be upheld, but I'd also expect Hot Fuss to be behind both Dance And Glance and All In You as he was at Sandown on his penultimate start. The winner that day All In You is another strong contender here for Warren Greatrex - you're probably starting to see why I couldn't tip something at 5/2 in a race like this when I admire so many - but his price has contracted more than I anticipated. He is around the same odds as my fancy for the race LANESBOROUGH, who will attempt to defy the trend of five or six year olds winning as a seven year old.

I was with him last time out in the Lanzarote at Kempton and was bitterly disappointed to see he could only manage fifth, although watching the race back he travelled well for a long way before the petrol tank tapped out. I've backed him antepost for the Coral Cup and truth be told I can't see him taking up that entry now given his stamina was exposed at Kempton on good ground, but I still believe this is a graded class animal and perhaps two miles on soft or worse ground like this will be the test he needs. His penultimate start yielded an ultra impressive Doncaster win, in a race which has worked out, over a trip more like this one and while he hasn't run on soft for a while, he does have winning form with the mud flying.

Ben Pauling is having a stellar season and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he added to it with a win of this hugely valuable prize. Of the outsiders, Milldam is one to keep onside if the rain continues to fall as he has rock solid heavy ground form, while Go Dante could reward extra place each-way backers again after a third in this race in 2024 and seventh in 2025, a race in which he'd have finished closer had he not met traffic.