Preview and tips ahead of Coral Gold Cup Day at Newbury Racecourse

Arguably the biggest Jumps racing meeting of the year at Newbury arrives on Saturday with its Gold Cup card, a seven-race feast for punters heading to the Berkshire track.

The action kicks off at 12.07pm on Saturday with a Listed mares’ novices’ hurdle, the Gold Cup itself is off at 3pm, and the card comes to a close one race later at 3.35pm with a class two handicap chase.

Read below to discover the latest tips and a full preview of Newbury’s card on Saturday courtesy of Sporting Life.

The opening contest on Saturday’s card sees a field of nine head to post for the two-mile Listed mares’ novices’ hurdle (12.07).

The powerful Dan Skelton yard has a strong hand in the opener with Listentoyourheart, who overcame inexperience to make a winning bumper debut last Autumn and has looked handy in two starts over hurdles, winning both times and is taken to make it a hat-trick here.

Jubilee Alpha has been absent since finishing ahead of the selection in an Aintree bumper in and is one of interest on hurdles debut for the Paul Nicholls team.

Trainer Nicholls is taken to get his first win of the card in race two (12.40) with Twinjets in the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase.

The seven-year-old made a successful debut over fences at Doncaster last December and was second on return at this track earlier this month to get back to some form and gets the marginal vote over Highstakesplayer, second last time out at Ascot and has four wins from five starts over fences.

Six runners will take on the class three novices’ hurdle at 1.15 and preference here heads the way of The New Lion for the Skelton team, a winner of a Market Rasen bumper on debut and looked an excellent prospect when scooting clear in a Chepstow novice last month so is clearly capable of great things.

All six runners arrive here on the back of victories and Califet En Voi bolted up when last seen at Kempton so is the main threat to The New Lion here.

Lambourn trainer Nicky Henderson holds a very strong hand in race four on the Saturday card (1.54) with Impose Toi in the class two handicap hurdle.

Last seen finishing a good third at Kempton, he appeals on a handy mark and was a winner on reappearance last winter so clearly goes well fresh.

Plenty of the 12-runner field have chances however, none more so than Inthewaterside for the Nicholls team, who ran a belter when third at Aintree in the Spring in a big-field handicap to improve despite defeat.

The Gerry Feilden marks race five on the card (2.25) and this one can go the way of Ballee for the Phillip Hobbs team, a winner of a brace of Taunton novices last season and was a cracking second on handicap bow at the Grand National meeting back in April.

His yard is in fine form too so he looks the way to go, though will be given a stern test from Lambourn trainer Harry Derham and his runner Queen’s Gamble, a winner of all three starts over hurdles last season that included a Listed event at Taunton, though will have to defy an 11-month absence here.

The feature race of the day and of the Newbury Jumps season is up next at 3pm with the 14-runner Coral Gold Cup or, for those of a certain vintage, formerly known as the Hennessy.

Trainer Venetia Williams has her string in good nick so it could be worth siding with the reappearing Victtorino here to land the £142,375 top prize, a back-to-back winner of three mile contest at Ascot last term and is back from a break off a handy mark following a disappointing outing at the Cheltenham Festival.

Irish raider Senior Chief is a very interesting entrant from the Henry De Bromhead team, a winner of a class two handicap at Cheltenham last month to roar back to form having bombed out in the Irish Grand National, while powerhouse Irish trainer Willie Mullins is also sending a runner over with Horantzau D’airy, runner up in both the Kerry and Munster Nationals in his last two outings so is a must for the shortlist.

Listed winner Galia Des Liteaux is one to consider as well for the Skelton team, a Listed and Graded winner previously and was a fine second in a Listed chase at Carlisle last time out.

Finally, the belting Saturday card at Newbury comes to a close with the class two handicap chase at 3.35 over the two mile trip and preference in the finale can go the way of the Skelton’s with Etalon, a rapid improver when sent chasing later term with three wins in three starts before a better than it looked seventh in a Grade 1 at Aintree.

He ran no race in the Haldon Gold Cup when last seen at Exeter but in any case, should be much sharper for that spin heading to Berkshire.

Newbury selections - Saturday

12.07 - Listentoyourheart

12.40 - Twinjets

1.15 - The New Lion

1.54 - Impose Toi

2.25 - Ballee

3.00 - Senior Chief

3.35 - Etalon