11:45 Newcastle

Thursday 15 January 2026

All11:4512:1512:5013:2514:0014:3515:1015:45

Virgin Bet Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) (Div 1)

Off time: 11:45 | Winning time: 4m 7.50s

Art Dancer⁴¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: William Maggs⁽⁵⁾| T: C Grant

80/1

Placed in a couple of bumpers at Sedgefield and should make a hurdler, albeit it's likely that he'll come into his own when faced with a stiffer test in due course.

Form: 33

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Big Jon^h³⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: Ross Chapman| T: R Menzies

150/1

Inexpensive gelding who hasn't shown enough in a couple of bumpers to suggest that he'll be a force on this hurdles debut.

Form: 67

Gaelic Rover⁴⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: B S Hughes| T: Ruth Jefferson| OR: 115

30/100

Showed promise despite falling both starts in Irish points and has shaped well in both starts over hurdles, stepping forward from his debut third when runner-up over C&D last time. Form looks solid and he should make a bold bid to go one better here.

Form: FF-32

Intenzo^h¹⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: M Walford

100/1

Down the field sole start for Mary Doyle in Ireland and he was safely held on return/stable debut in a Catterick maiden hurdle a fortnight ago.

Form: 0-3

Made All^t⁴¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Tom Midgley⁽³⁾| T: S England

66/1

Fair three-time winner on the Flat last year and while he offered something to work on switched to hurdles at Sedgefield last month, it's likely that he'll be better off when handicapping in due course.

Form: 7

So Proud²⁵⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Jonjo O'Neill Jr.| T: J & A O'Neill

10/3

:Shirocco gelding who was well supported when making a winning start in bumper at Haydock in May for Don Cantillon. Since changed hands for £100,000 and he rates an interesting prospect now tackling hurdles for his new yard.

Form: 1

Swingforthefence²⁷⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Sean Quinlan| T: J Candlish

40/1

Brother to dual bumper winner/useful 2m hurdle winner Royal Infantry, and half-brother to fair hurdler/chaser Sovereign Gold. Showed ability when third on debut in a Sedgefield bumper last spring but he's another who will probably be seen in a better light when upped in trip further down the line.

Form: 3-

Takeyoutotheisland³²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: Bruce Lynn| T: N W Alexander

100/1

From a good jumping family but efforts in a bumper and most recently on hurdles debut at Carlisle have lacked spark.

Form: 54

Who's Glen²⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Theo Gillard| T: D McCain Jnr

11/2

Useful Flat winner at his best for Andrew Balding in 2025. Changed hands for just 22,000 gns but he didn't shape at all badly when third starting out in this sphere at Musselburgh (19.8f, good to soft). Open to improvement.

Form: 3

Berwick Law^h¹⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: Craig Nichol| T: I Jardine

250/1

Hooded and hinted at promise when fifth of 8 in bumper at Ayr but subsequent hurdles bow at Catterick was uninspiring.

Form: 57

Midnight Bella²⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: Peter Kavanagh| T: J Parkinson & S Smith

80/1

Made a discouraging start to her hurdling career at Wetherby on Boxing Day and it's easy enough to look elsewhere.

Form: 580

Roarin' Success¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-1| J: Charlie Maggs⁽⁵⁾| T: D McCain Jnr

66/1

Fairly useful handicapper on the Flat (stays 1¼m), successful once in 2025. Sold for 10,000 gns later in October and failed to land a blow on recent hurdles debut at Catterick. Who's Glen appears to be the stable No 1.

Form: 6

Forecasts

Gaelic Rover (30/100), So Proud (10/3), Who's Glen (11/2), Swingforthefence (40/1), Roarin' Success (66/1), Made All (66/1), Midnight Bella (80/1), Art Dancer (80/1), Intenzo (100/1), Takeyoutotheisland (100/1), Big Jon (150/1), Berwick Law (250/1)

The form of GAELIC ROVER's hurdles debut third is working out well and he subsequently put in another good shift when collared close home by an odds-on shot over C&D at the end of November. Ruth Jefferson's charge is taken to make it third time lucky in this sphere, with bumper scorer So Proud feared most ahead of Who's Glen, who shaped pretty well on debut in this sphere at Musselburgh.