William Hill Hurdle Tips: Repeat Winner On The Cards

The Newbury Handicap Hurdle (formerly the Betfair and now for the first time, the William Hill) is the big betting race of Saturday from Newbury and as always the field is packed with teams who'll fancy their chances. Billy Grimshaw has previewed the contest for us and likes a returning hero...

As I begin this preview, a nagging internal voice of doubt is growing louder in my mind as I see Joyeuse, the second favourite at the time of writing owned by JP and trained by Nicky Henderson being backed across the boards to win the William Hill Hurdle on Saturday. Of course, this owner trainer partnership are no strangers to scooping this prestigious and valuable pot, indeed they did so in style last season. Joyeuse is certainly not a horse I was discounting entirely when first studying the race, as her defeat last time out came at the hands of Wodhooh, a mare I absolutely love and one who will definitely carry my cash in whichever handicap she is sent to at Cheltenham (on the off chance you're reading this Gordon Elliott, stick her in the Martin Pipe please!) 

There is no disgrace being beaten by a mare as talented and game as Wodhooh and off what looks a more than fair handicap mark, it comes as little surprise to see she is already being well backed in here and with Nico De Boinville booked, she is clearly the stable and ownership first string. Nevertheless, I am siding instead with last year's winner and the perceived back up plan in IBERICO LORD to defend his title at insulting odds of 20/1.

Were I to have gone back in time and strolled around Newbury telling the viewers that day that the horse they'd just watched bolt in would be available to back at 20s for the same race next season, they'd have probably doubted my sanity as well as my validity as a time traveller, and for good reason. On his day he is a very strong traveller and he loved it around Newbury as the then six year old cruised through the race toward the back after a first obstacle mishap and easily picked up the field, including what we now know is a very high class animal in L'eau Du Sud, up the run-in to a dominant two length success.

Things have not quite gone to plan since that glorious day, pulling up when quietly fancied in the Champion Hurdle before being sent novice chasing and never fully convincing that he was in love with the task. That should not be a stick to beat him with, however, as we have seen on numerous occasions horses who look destined to make good hurdlers and brilliant chasers just never take to their new job over the bigger obstacles. He has recently returned to hurdling and while it was somewhat disappointing to see just how many errors he made last time out when beaten at 5/2 at Windsor behind Nemean Lion, I am willing to take an educated guess that he was not given a hard time there and it was more about getting readjusted to hurdles with this day in mind.

Perhaps he is gone at the game, but at the age of seven that'd be seriously disappointing, and with just one run over hurdles this season which can be easily excused I think 20/1 is a barmy price even with the horse tasked with carrying top weight in here. He had to deal with 11st8 last year and that didn't faze him, so with Freddie Gordon taking 3lbs off his 12 stone burden in here he is basically faced with the same task. I would make him closer to 10/1 myself so at odds double my own idea of his true chance, he is my strongest each-way play of Saturday.

There are of course a number of horses with more than an each-way squeak, and I'd not be surprised were fellow top weight Lump Sum right in the mix for Sam Thomas, providing he bounces back from his Christmas Hurdle flop. Secret Squirrel is gorgeous to look at but he's not just a pretty exterior, with a battling attitude and plenty of talent to boot so he cannot be discounted but at 4/1 he can be ignored for a bet. Aucunrisque is another former winner in here who did tempt me, but the horse has regressed since that 2023 triumph and he will have plenty of rivals for the pace this year, unlike when he got a freebie and was an all the way winner, so unless drifting further I can leave him alone too.