Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: Northern Air could be Bliss at Kelso

William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty looks over Saturday’s racing from Kelso and Newbury, picking out his best bets.

Kelso, Saturday

I’m keen to take on favourite Dare To Shout in the Kelso opener (1:15pm) as he has a habit of finishing second. I thought CADELL struggled on soft ground at Sandown two starts back when pitched into Grade 2 company. His run at Musselburgh last time out can be forgiven too, as if you don’t have the pace to hold your position around there, it’s very easy to get on the back foot. I’d be willing to forgive any horse a bad run around there. If you go back to his win at Wetherby on good ground, where he beat a fancied Paul Nicholls-trained rival, that looks like decent form. I think a return to similar conditions here could see an improved performance from him.

On form, WYENOT looks decent value at the prices in the mares’ Listed hurdle (1:50pm). She’s top-rated, but she’s only reached that rating in her recent runs, so she’s potentially a filly that’s still on the up. She finished just over seven lengths behind Kateira and Jetara at Wetherby last time, and that’s a high level of form. She should be hard to beat here.

The following two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle (2:25pm) looks highly competitive and I’m going to look for a bit of each-way value with ASHINGTON. Age is slightly against him, but he has won his last two starts over this trip on good ground, including at Kelso back in September. He won last time out at Doncaster, beating the favourite, and has only gone up four pounds for that, so he should still be competitive under conditions that suit.

I like NORTHERN AIR in a valuable mares’ novices’ handicap hurdle (3:00pm). She won well at Taunton on good ground last time after a wind-op, having struggled prior to that at Lingfield on soft ground. On that basis, it looks like the good ground she should encounter at Kelso is essential to her. It was a forward step the last day in Taunton and I think she can build on that for a yard that won this race last year.

Newbury, Saturday

I put up SAINT SEGAL a few runs back and I’ll stick with him in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase (2:40pm) from Newbury. He’s a course and distance winner from earlier in the season and ran well to finish third on softer ground at Newbury last time out. Previously, his best form was on a sounder surface and I think those conditions should make him a big player here. With the forecast looking dry, we could be talking about close to good ground at Newbury and the chase track dries out quicker than the hurdles track there, which should make it ideal for Saint Segal.

Harry Derham is on-fire at the minute, and he could land the Grade 2 mares’ novices’ hurdle (3:15pm) with JASMINE BLISS. She was a good winner of her last two starts, beating the reopposing La Pinsonniere by 11 lengths at Southwell last time. She struggled on soft ground earlier in the season but has turned the corner in 2025 and she looks to be very much on the improve now.