Newbury each-way racing tip: Dolphin Square set to hit ground running again on season debut

14:25 Newbury: Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle (3 miles 52 yards)  

A glance at the early betting suggests that ten of the dozen scheduled starters will be running in the hoofprints left by Equinus and Emitom, who dominate the top of the market and are expected to the same on the Newbury turf.

Equinus looks likely to be sent off the short-priced favourite, which is hardly surprising as he escapes unpunished by the handicapper for his five-length season debut success at Aintree 11 days ago, and he continues to benefit from the seven-pound claim of jockey James Turner.

Nicky Henderson’s top-weight Bold Endeavour is the only other runner currently priced at a single-digit price, which opens the door for any of the remaining nine apparent outsiders to make the frame at tasty odds.

Of those, Hititi catches the eye after rounding off last season with a hat-trick of wins and the promise of more to come, while the Skelton yard will have high hopes for Martha Brae, who also ended last term on a high with four close-up runner-up spots (never more than three lengths off the winner) interrupted by a decisive win at Hereford.

Planet Sport Bet: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Martha Brae finishes in the first 3 places, get a £5 Free Bet!

The buzz among Tipstrr’s each-way specialists is that Our Power’s return to hurdling for the first time in 32 months could be worth watching, but their final nod of approval goes to Philip Hobbs and Johnson White’s proven nine-year-old Dolphin Square.

This capable course-distance winner boasts an impressive record when fresh, winning on career debut in 2019, and then finishing in the first two on each of his six returns from extended breaks.

Two of those reappearances involved a visit to the winners’ enclosure, including his season debut last December, when he showed early resilience to win by a nose and a short head in a blanket finish.

On board that day was David Maxwell, who missed his two less impressive efforts in the spring, and he returns with his three-pound claim for an in-form yard that has saddled five winners and a further four frame finishes from their last 18 runners. 

Dolphin Square looks good value to maintain his impressive record when fresh, especially off a lower mark than he carried throughout the whole of last season, and even more so with four each-way places widely available. 

Suggested bet: Dolphin Square each-way in the 14:25 at Newbury

 

• Tip advised by PicksnTips Selections on Tipstrr

 

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