Nick Luck’s William Hill Blog: Hoping to Walking On Air at Newbury

William Hill ambassador Nick Luck casts his expert eye over the best of the racing at Newbury, Haydock and Taunton on Saturday 30th December. 

Saturday, Newbury

THE RUSSIAN DOYEN can land the TV opener at Newbury on Saturday (1.15pm) at 5/1. This is a competitive little race, but a fair step down class-wise from his very promising return to action here a few weeks ago. He loves this track, has gelled very well with Harry Cobden the few times they have teamed up, and must have a sound chance in this grade.

NOW OR NEVER is a bit of a guess in the handicap hurdle (1.50pm), but there are very few with really compelling credentials, and this one might have been let in with a squeak by the handicapper. It’s hard to be dogmatic that 126 is a favourable mark, but he has been running well against horses who have subsequently acquitted themselves well in stakes races at Auteuil. More to the point, there probably isn’t a better trainer at knowing where their French imports belong than Venetia Williams, and she does very well at this track. 8/1.

CERTAINLY RED looks a little overpriced at 10/1 in the Mandarin (2.25pm). This is a rare spin left-handed for this talented horse, but he has a Chepstow hurdles win to his name, so I’m not too worried on that score. More importantly, he is down in grade and in good form judged on his recent run at Sandown, where the ground was plenty testing enough. This more conventional test should suit better, and there aren’t too many really unexposed rivals to worry about.

JOHNNYWHO gets the vote in the Challow (3.00pm) at 7/2. He and Willmount are cut from similar cloth: impressive in everything they have done, but as yet not seriously tested. My sway towards the selection is informed by just how impressive he was at Carlisle, a tough place to look smart, and that the horse he glided by was able to show a pretty high level of form in a graded race at Cheltenham subsequently. It would be folly to overlook Lookaway, who comes in here with a high level of handicap form and will make a good fist of it from the front.

WALKING ON AIR is the one in the Newbury finale (3.35pm) at 4/1. He might never be the most bankable proposition, but there is little doubt that his handicap mark doesn’t reflect his true level of ability, hence his debut in this (rather atypical of his trainer). It is worth noting his most striking hurdles effort came at this track, and he began to look a strong stayer at this trip at the back end of last year.

Saturday, Haydock

FORTESCUE should be up to winning The Last Fling handicap at Haydock (1.25pm) at 7/2. He has loads of serious form around here, most notably when third to Royale Pagaille in a Peter Marsh off a higher mark, and he showed himself no back number with an excellent effort behind no less than Nassalam last time. This looks much easier than his usual assignment, and his record in single figure fields is 3112112113214.

Saturday, Taunton

CASA NO MENTO may get the better of the talented Queen’s Gamble in the Listed Mares’ at Taunton (2.10pm). Queen’s Gamble may yet end up with the more decorated CV, but the selection is all speed – according to connections, she was the only horse in the yard that could work with the ill-fated I Like to Move It – and this track might just play to her strengths. 15/8.

KING OF THE LAKE looks the one in the other TV race at Taunton (2.45pm) at 10/3. Jeremy Scott does a brilliant job getting his handicappers to kick off in appropriate company, and this one has surely been keeping a bit up his sleeve by racing over trips shy of his best judged on his old-fashioned staying pedigree. This isn’t a strong race, and I’d be amazed if he couldn’t figure.