Two winners for Harry Cobden this weekend could see him leapfrog Harry Skelton in the race for the £1.5million David Power Jockeys' Cup.
Skelton currently tops the leaderboard with 246 points to his name, but Cobden is hot on his tail, just 18 points behind, and there’s plenty to play for with 196 points up for grabs this weekend.
There are four qualifying races at Newbury but Skelton is staying local as he heads to Warwick – just a 20 minute drive from his brothers’ training base in Alcester – where he has three strong chances to add to his tally.
14:05 Warwick: Kingmaker Novices' Chase (Grade 2)
Starting with L'eau Du Sud in the Kingmaker. Currently third in the betting for the Arkle behind Sir Gino and Majborough, he’s three from three over fences so far and the Skelton’s will be disappointed if they aren’t collecting 10 points here on route to Cheltenham.
14:50 Warwick: Read Nicky Henderson's Weekly Unibet Blog Mares' Hurdle (Listed)
Willie Mullins sends Gala Marceau over for this and if she’s anywhere near her best on her first run for 280 days, she’ll be difficult to beat. But Skelton will be hopeful of collecting aboard West Balboa who is clear second best on the ratings in the field if the addition of cheekpieces can help her bounce back after a disappointing start to this season.
15:15 Warwick: Unibet Middle Distance Series Veterans' Handicap Chase
Similar comments apply to Skelton’s mount in the finale at Warwick, Le Milos, who hasn’t been at his best lately but is on a tempting mark now. There’s been enough encouragement in his last few efforts to suggest a big run is around the corner and there’s no jockey who rides this track better.
13:50 Newbury: William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle
The chasing pack, headed by Harry Cobden, are all at Newbury for ‘Super Saturday’ where we kick off with a competitive handicap hurdle over three miles. Cobden gets on board Ivaldi here who was a good winner at Ascot in April 2023 but missed last season and finished down the field on his comeback run at Newbury. He clearly isn’t the easiest to train, and Paul Nicholls suggests in his Betfair Blog that he will probably need this run after picking up another small setback since Newbury.
Sean Bowen has an interesting ride on Haiti Couleurs. He comes here on a hat-trick after two wins over fences at Aintree and Cheltenham looks on a decent mark if he can translate that form back over hurdles.
14:25 Newbury: Denman Chase (Grade 2)
This looks an excellent opportunity for Cobden to score aboard Bravemansgame. He’s not really been the same horse since chasing home Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup but he didn’t run too badly in the King George last time, just paying the price for racing up with the strong pace, and he looks to have an excellent chance at the weights here getting weight from the likes of Djelo and Ga Law.
Sam Twiston-Davies will be hoping to pick up some place points, which go down to fourth, on the veteran Sam Brown, who will no doubt be coming home strongly as he always does.
15:00 Newbury: Game Spirit Chase (Grade 2)
The absence of Sir Gino has blown this race wide open, and you can make a case for each of the remaining five runners in this Grade 2. With Nico de Boinville and Harry Cobden sitting this one out, Sam Twiston-Davies will be looking to take advantage on board Master Chewy who has a bit to find with the likes of Matata and Edwardstone but could be in the shake up if getting back to the sort of form which seem him narrowly go down to Found A Fifty in a Grade 1 at Aintree at the back end of last season.
15:35 Newbury: William Hill Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
An 18-runner handicap hurdle to bring the ITV Racing curtain down at Newbury where loads have chances. Nico de Boinville rides Joyeuse, and interesting contender having just her third start for Nicky Henderson after a couple of wins in France, and there should be more to come from this half-sister to Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante.
That means he gets off Secret Squirrel, the horse he won on at Windsor last month, leaving the door open for Sean Bowen to jump on board. He’s got a 5 lb penalty to carry for that success, but that might not be enough to stop him following up.
Harry Cobden teams up with Harry Derham to ride Givemefive. He started the season with a win at Cheltenham but was well beaten behind Secret Squirrel last time and will likely be one of the outsiders here.
David Power Jockeys' Cup betting
4/5 Harry Skelton
3/1 Nico de Boinville
9/2 Harry Cobden
6/1 Sam Twiston-Davies
20/1 Sean Bowen
33/1 Paul Townend
Bet here with Paddy Power: https://www.paddypower.com/horse-racing?tab=specials
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