Newbury Placepot picks: Paul Kealy has a crack at the £100k guaranteed pot

With small fields the order of the day at Newbury, there's not much point in having a big Placepot perm and Sashenka, well held in second last month but by a rival who was just beaten in Class 2 handicap company the next time, looks banker material in the first (1.40).

Most of her best form is on good ground, so she should be in her element despite the watering.

In the second (2.15) Twig was way below form at Doncaster last time but that was in Graded company and these are calmer waters. The prolific pointer and hunter chase winner should be up to this.

Under Control has a Cheltenham entry, which suggests she's very much the one to beat in the third (2.50), and it won't be a surprise if she is pretty short despite a slight worry about her jumping performance in France.

Perversely, I'm going to put all three in the fourth (3.25) as they are so closely matched and you have to find the winner, and we'll have a couple in the next (4.00) as well.

Bothwell Bridge shaped well back over hurdles at Sandown last time and has a 10lb claimer on board who has been in winning form lately, while Hurricane Harvey is going to find this a lot easier than a Class 2 Pertemps qualifier last time, in which he was a fair fifth.

Only four go in the final leg (4.30), in which I'll leave out Calgary Tiger, who was a shock 50-1 winner on his return from nearly two years off last month and may bounce.

With Stepney Causeway having beaten only two rivals in three starts since joining Milton Harris, the pair to concentrate on are Gallic Geordie, who may want softer ground but likes the track, and Yes Indeed, who is nicely treated if the wind op has worked.

Newbury Placepot perm

1.40
1 Sashenka

2.15
2 Twig

2.50
9 Under Control

3.25
1 Herbiers
2 Brief Times
3 Nothin To Ask

4.00
1 Bothwell Bridge
2 Hurricane Harvey

4.30
1 Yes Indeed
3 Gallic Geordie

1 x 1 x 1 x 3 x 2 x 2 = 12 lines

Sign up to the Tote here. Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.