Betfair Hurdle: key trainer quotes and analysis for the big race at Newbury

Saturday: 3.35 Newbury
Betfair Hurdle (Grade 3) | 2m½f | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

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Gary Moore has few peers when it comes to laying a horse out for a valuable handicap as his record in the £155,000 Betfair Hurdle confirms.

The West Sussex trainer is seeking a fourth success in the valuable handicap hurdle, having won it with Heathcote (2007), Wingman (2008) and Violet Dancer (2015).

Since 1988 Moore has also sent out a second, a third and a fourth in the historic handicap, and punters who staked £1 on all of his runners in that time period would have made a profit of £68.

Moore has two representatives this year in Fifty Ball and Royaume Uni. The former is much the shorter price of the duo, but it would be no real surprise if the talented Royaume Uni, who remains a little under the radar, emerged as the number-one contender.

Royaume Uni has threatened to win a big pot for some time, and his last-time-out Kempton third to First Street last month can be marked up as he probably hated the soft ground and was not knocked about by Jamie Moore when his winning chance had gone from the penultimate hurdle.

The trainer said: "I like a horse in a top handicap who carries a low weight, and Royaume Uni only has 10st 2lb. He has a chance – a reasonable chance I would call it."

Moore added: "Fifty Ball is in great shape with himself. It's always been the plan to run him in the Betfair Hurdle since we stopped chasing with him before Christmas.

"The ground is a slight concern, but he's much better off at the weights with Soaring Glory who beat him three lengths in the race last year."

Tritonic still fairly treated

Tritonic has a lot of weight to carry, but he looked a horse going places when landing a Grade 3 handicap hurdle at Ascot before Christmas and it's pertinent to note that he still retains a Unibet Champion Hurdle entry.

Ignore his heavy defeat in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton as that race came just eight days after the Ascot triumph and he failed to reproduce the form which saw him sent off just 4-1 joint-second favourite behind odds-on Epatante.

Alan King, trainer of Tritonic, said: "Adrian Heskin came to school Tritonic on Monday and was delighted with him. This race has been the target since he won a competitive handicap hurdle at Ascot so well in December.

"We rolled the dice a little bit bringing him back a week later in a much better race. It just didn't work, but it didn't do him any harm as he was dropped 1lb by the handicapper."

Jpr One's profile looks ideal

Novices tend to fare well in fiercely contested handicaps of this nature, and none comes into the Betfair Hurdle with a more unexposed profile than the Colin Tizzard-trained five-year-old Jpr One.

This will be only the fourth run of his life, and he graduates to handicap company off a mark of 130, which time may tell to be lenient.

Jpr One cruised home six and a half lengths clear of Tango Tara in a Taunton novice hurdle last month, and holds Cheltenham Festival entries in two Grade 1 events, the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Ballymore Novices' Hurdle.

What was most impressive about that Taunton win was the way in which he sealed success with two beautiful leaps at the final two hurdles before bounding clear on the run-in and he looks the consummate professional despite his lack of experience.

Tizzard said: "He's a lovely young horse. This is another step forward, but the fact that he is in the first two in the betting tells you something about him.

"It's a huge pot, and novices have a good record in the race. He jumped well on Wednesday morning in his schooling session and goes there in lovely form."

What they say

Jonjo O'Neill Jr, rider of Soaring Glory
We're happy with the way he's going. It's definitely a tougher ask than last year with top weight and he doesn't have the same profile – he was a novice going in last year and nicely handicapped like Broomfield Burg, Jpr One and Knappers Hill this year. He's stepped up again this season, he won well at Ascot and I thought he ran well in the Christmas Hurdle. I think a return to a strongly run handicap will help him and we're happy with him but he's got more on his plate this year.

Nicky Henderson, trainer of First Street and Broomfield Burg
You'd be pushed to split them and they're of a similar profile in that they're both in top form and are coming off impressive Kempton wins. They both also want a really truly run race and that's my biggest worry. The last couple of Betfair Hurdles might not have been that fast-run, when you think it should be a helter-skelter pace. The field is a bit short, so therefore it is a concern and I want a flat-out gallop for them.

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Knappers Hill
He's a novice like quite a few of them this year, so he's inexperienced but he ran well at Ascot last time. It was a bit of a muddling race, they went no gallop and it turned into a sprint which didn't really suit him but he ran well and the form's worked out. It's a tough-looking race but I'd like to think he's nicely handicapped. He's got to overcome some inexperience but I'm very happy with him.

Harry Fry, trainer of Boothill
He's going back over the smaller obstacles after his run over fences at Exeter in December. He was sore after disappointing that day. We got him right over Christmas and decided to go back to hurdling. It will be his third race over hurdles, and he's still unexposed. Hopefully there is more to come from him.

Ryan Potter, trainer of Jetoile
It's a very competitive race and there are more than half a dozen horses who can win it. He's one of them. He deserves to take his chance after his second in the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown, he ran a blinder that day. He's versatile groundwise, the course should suit him and he has a lot of things in his favour. The one I fear most is Broomfield Burg.

Saturday previews:

1.15 Newbury: will weight concession prove too much for leading festival fancy Bravemansgame?

2.05 Warwick: trainer views and insight for Kingmaker clash between Edwardstone and Third Time Lucki

2.25 Newbury: can Clan Des Obeaux shrug off the doubts with Denman Chase victory?

3.00 Newbury: 'Still improving' Hitman bids to get Paul Nicholls back on track in Game Spirit

3.15 Warwick: 'He's working nicely and well capable' – analysis and quotes for tricky handicap

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