Sir AP McCoy’s William Hill blog: Fighting Fifth a match to savour

William Hill ambassador Sir AP McCoy previews Saturday’s action from Newcastle and Newbury as well as the Grade One racing from Fairyhouse on Sunday

Newbury, Saturday

I’m going to begin my preview of this weekend’s racing with the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase (12:40) at Newbury, where Genois has obvious claims for Jonjo’s team. He was really good in winning at Wetherby and there’s no denying his chance. I’m siding with an ex-Jonjo horse, however, in Inch House. He’s now trained by Paul Nicholls and I’m drawn to his two wins at the track, which I think make him stand out from the pack.

On the face of it, Impose Toi looks to have a cracking chance in the handicap hurdle (13:54). He’s not been seen since the Lanzarote, but the yard are really happy with him and he has some eye-catching form. A mark of 134 is unlikely to be his ceiling but I want to give a mention to Guard The Moon too. He ran a great race behind Harbour Lake at Aintree earlier in the month, and he is worth a go each-way.

The Gerry Feilden (14:25) is a really interesting race on paper, and Jeriko Du Reponet catches the eye here. He’s back over hurdles after his chase debut went awry, but he’s not the one I like for this. That comes in the shape of Liari. He put in a good comeback effort at Chepstow in October when the Paul Nicholls team weren’t really firing. He’s bound to have come on a load for that run, and I think he’s got a standout chance.

It might not be a vintage renewal of the Coral Gold Cup (15:00) but I have found one or two I like. Galia Des Liteaux has been a class mare for the Skeltons and I think this test ought to suit her down to the ground. She’s had her prep run and looks like she’s been mapped out for the race. The Twiston-Davies team have made no secret of the chance they think Broadway Boy has, but he’s got to go and do it all the same. Don’t be surprised if Kandoo Kid runs a big race either. You know Paul Nicholls will have him cherry ripe for Saturday and the yard seem to be ticking along nicely.

Newcastle, Saturday

The Fighting Fifth (14:10) looks a match to savour between Sir Gino and Mystical Power. Sir Gino looks a fast horse who does everything easily, whereas Mystical Power has famously never shown anything at home and has just got better every time he’s ran. It looks really hard to split them, with only two pounds between them on official ratings. On the expected quick ground you might expect Sir Gino to be the faster of the two, but I’ll just look forward to the race on the day, as it looks to be a cracker.

Fairyhouse, Sunday

I think Romeo Coolio (13:35) will be hard to pass in the Royal Bond, but one Gordon Elliott youngster I will take on is Firefox in the Drinmore (14:05). He’s a really smart horse, but I like Heart Wood more. He’s a second-season novice and just has that level of chasing experience under his belt. It’s not bad chasing experience either, having beaten Cheltenham Festival winner Corbetts Cross on his most recent run. He’ll do for me.

The Hatton’s Grace (14:40) looks like another match race, this time between Lossiemouth and Teahupoo. I think Lossiemouth is undoubtedly top class, and she was trained brilliantly last year to win all the races she did. I just think that Teahupoo is really hard to get away from here. He’s going for three on the spin in the race and I think he might just edge the mare on Sunday.