Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Saturday.
Three points of interest
Drop in trip looks a good move for Brave Kingdom
Bryony Frost has largely been riding in France this season but she takes her first mounts in Britain in 2025 at Uttoxeter on Saturday.
Frost was last in action in Britain towards the end of December when she had two rides at Newbury, including one aboard Brave Kingdom who shaped well when third in the Mandarin Handicap Chase and earned Timeform's Horse In Focus Flag to identify him as one likely to be of interest next time.
Brave Kingdom is one of Frost's three rides at Uttoxeter and looks to have been found a suitable opportunity in the three-mile handicap chase (14:48).
Brave Kingdom was making his reappearance from a ten-month break at Newbury and a combination of that absence, the step up to three and a quarter miles and his exuberance seemed to tell late on as he faded having briefly looked the likely winner turning into the straight.
He drops back in trip a couple of furlongs at Uttoxeter, which looks a good move based on how he shaped at Newbury, and he still has the Timeform 'small p' attached to his rating to highlight he remains open to improvement after only four starts over fences.
Newmarket yards aiming to enhance fine records at Newcastle
John & Thady Gosden send only one runner to Newcastle on Saturday and they have a good record when sending one on the long journey north from their Newmarket base.
Since taking out a joint-licence in March 2021, the Gosdens have had 32 winners from 104 runners at Newcastle at a strike rate of 30.8%. That compares favourably to their overall strike rate of 20.7% in British Flat races. They have also fared well with debutants at Newcastle, sending out six winners from 22 runners at a strike rate of 27.3%, and they have an interesting newcomer on Saturday in the shape of Warrant Holder who contests the mile maiden (18:00).
Warrant Holder takes the eye on pedigree as he's by Frankel out of the smart mare Diploma who won at listed level during a short career. Diploma's previous three runners have all won and two of them reached a Timeform rating of 100.
Fellow Newmarket trainer Roger Varian also does well at Newcastle and since the start of 2020 has operated at a strike rate of 25% at the course. That compares well to his overall strike-rate of 19.7% in that time.
Varian's only runner at Newcastle on Saturday is Blast The Dream who makes her handicap debut in the mile contest (17:30). She didn't need to improve to get off the mark at Southwell a couple of weeks ago and could still do better.
Notable newcomers in bumpers
There are some well-bred horses starting out in bumpers on Saturday, notably Apples Jane who, as you might be able to guess from her name, is a daughter of Apple's Jade.
Apple's Jade won 11 Grade 1s during a remarkable career and achieved a peak Timeform end-of-season rating of 162. Only ten mares have achieved a higher Timeform rating since the first edition of Timeform's Chasers & Hurdlers was released in 1975/76.
Gordon Elliott trained Apple's Jade for most of her illustrious career and is also responsible for Apples Jane, a four-year-old daughter of leading jumps sire Walk In The Park. She is one of two runners for the yard in the Naas bumper (15:40).
Miss Denver, who makes her debut for Nigel Twiston-Davies in the bumper art Warwick (16:23), hails from the family of Denman. Her unraced dam is a sister to the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Denman and has produced four winners, most notably Polly Peachum who scored at listed level and finished runner-up in the 2015 Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
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