ITV Racing Tips: Fighting Fifth the highlight – SIX are live on the channel

ITV cameras are at Newbury on Saturday for four fabulous contests, and arguably even more exciting is the fact that two are also beamed from the North East - one of which is Newcastle's G1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle featuring three of the first four in the Champion Hurdle betting for Cheltenham in March.

Mouth-watering stuff then, and I hope you have a brilliant afternoon's viewing. Can't wait.

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Full ITV Schedule;

13:40 Newbury - 2m 4 1/2f Handicap Hurdle

14:00 Newcastle - 2m 1/2f Fighting Fifth Hurdle (Grade 1)

14:15 Newbury - 2m 1/2f Gerry Fielden Intermediate Hurdle (Handicap)

14:55 Newbury - 3m 2 1/2f Grade 3 Handicap Chase

15:15 Newcastle - 2m 7 1/2f Rehearsal Chase

15:35 Newbury - 2m Handicap Chase

Rationale;

13:40 Newbury - French Ship @ 7/2

Philip Hobbs & Johnson White train this promising, upwardly-mobile five-year-old gelding, and the brilliant Harry Cobden has been booked to ride for the first time.

I'm sure connections are fully aware of what they might have on their hands here - potentially a very smart operator who could go far in the game. French Ship has won four of his nine starts and in just his third handicap is already operating off a mark of 136.

Last time, at Cheltenham no less, he scored readily at around this trip by nearly 4l and apart from the 8lb hike is up a notch into Class 2 company.

Around this time last year on this card he ran The New Lion to 5.5l in a novice heat, and he's improved markedly since then. I get the feeling he didn't beat much at HQ but the manner of the victory was nevertheless impressive.

Brilliant way to kick-off for us on what's a stellar day for our sport.

14:00 Newcastle - Constitution Hill @ 7/4

This is both an absolute joy and frankly a bit of a conundrum!

The fabled Fighting Fifth Hurdle - the roll of former champions reads like a who's-who of some of the greatest hurdlers ever to look through a bridle. The likes of Comedy Of Errors, Night Nurse, Sea Pigeon, and a certain Constitution Hill, one of this afternoon's combatants.

Nicky Henderson's eight-year-old gelding has probably been the most talked-about horse in National Hunt racing over the past several seasons. Initially given his awesome ascent from taking a modest Sandown novice to the Champion Hurdle via the Tolworth, Supreme Novices,' this very race and the Christmas Hurdle; and latterly as his stable struggle to comprehend and arrest a slide that's included alarming jumping errors and two close-up, calamitous and unscheduled visits to the turf, nose-first.

Nicky's been bullish of late - his 'quality' has been shining through as never before, apparently, and the veteran handler evidently loves his champion to bits. I just can't find it in myself to back against him, even though bona fide comebacks are extremely rare in sport.

At or near his best, main rivals The New Lion and Anzadam had better start now - but in the current climate of uncertainty they are exceptionally worthy, and of course talented, foes.

The New Lion for me would prefer further, but that didn't inconvenience the likes of Istabraq at the minimum; while Anzadam, a gelded son of Derby hero Authorized, is the one I fear most.

At five he's in the foothills of what might be a spectacular career, races in the State Man Donnelly livery, and benefits from the expert tutelage of a certain Mr WP Mullins.

It's a magnificent horse-race, and my daft old sentimental self wants so much to see the real Constitution Hill once again. In his pomp - what a sight! One of the very best we've ever, ever seen.

May the cards fall as they might - and I could well be watching this one from behind the settee.

Epic.

14:15 Newbury - Live Conti @ 6/1

Harry Skelton will wish he could be in two places at once today but as he's got his hands full with Fighting Fifth hope The New Lion at Newcastle, amongst others, the yard's fancied horses at Newbury need alternative pilots.

One such is their French-bred four-year-old gelding Live Conti, another to race in the silks of the partnership that includes Sir Alex Ferguson, Ged Mason and the Hales family.

Two wins from three starts, and when last seen in April at Aintree was a fine second in the G1 Juvenile Hurdle, beaten 6l.

He gave Willie Mullins' winner there (the filly Murcia) 7lb, being a member of the fairer sex, but it was a standout effort stepping up from winning a £5k juvenile hurdle at Wetherby.

Tristan Durrell, who claims 3lb, is the lucky replacement on top, and our selection must defy joint top-weight of 12st - no easy task. Another absolute crackerjack of a contest, and with a rating of 143 after just three career starts, this one could frankly be anything.

One debut spin for previous trainer(s) Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm in Oct 2024, then shipped off to Team Skelton the following month. The sky's the limit.

14:55 Newbury - Panic Attack @ 12/1

Our eggs are in the Alcester basket of the Skeltons once again, with a smashing type that we tipped up to win at Cheltenham a fortnight ago.

And win she did - Panic Attack skipped up the hill to take down a £91k handicap off a mark of 135; and this afternoon the nine-year-old mare, in the form of her life, steps up a further 6f in trip and is 4lb higher in the weights.

The prize is even more mesmerising - £142k to the winner - and once again the fortunate T Durrell benefits from the absence of Harry S, who by now will have had four rides at Newcastle including the big one, the Fighting Fifth.

The way Panic Attack bounded up the hill at Cheltenham suggests this trip should be fine, and I expect her to be buried away until a late challenge is mounted over the last couple, fingers crossed.

She's won here before, and holds a couple of fancy early-closing entries that includes the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day. Offers genuine value for me, and as we're paying FIVE places each-way, 1/5 odds, that's something you might like to consider if you favour her, or any other attractively-priced runners.

15:15 Newcastle - Deafening Silence @ 11/4

Newcastle's superb card ends with this staying handicap chase, and we're hoping there's a bit of Harry Skelton magic left as we're supporting the Dan Skelton-trained eight-year-old gelding Deafening Silence.

This fella hasn't been seen since March - a tailed-off effort in a warm novice at Uttoxeter 259 days ago. There have been a couple of significant breaks, and he's pretty lightly-raced as a consequence (three wins from just eight starts under rules, plus one win from three points).

I'm taking a bit on trust, sure, but with a racing weight of just 10st 8lb, and hailing from a yard where relative miracles are far from infrequent, I'm going to take a chance.

The stake will be extremely modest and indeed I might well just sit on my hands and watch this one - it's sure to be absolutely fascinating.

15:35 Newbury - General Medrano @ 7/2

Decent two-mile handicap chasers now, and a selection trained in Wiltshire by Emma Lavelle.

Her eight-year-old gelding General Medrano is four from 22 all told, with three of those successes coming over the larger obstacles. He's had a seasonal pipe-opener, four weeks ago at Ascot, running a blinder to be a 4l fourth to Teddy Blue in a hot one, running on nicely.

He's fully entitled to have come on for that which puts him slap bang in the middle of this for me when it comes to looking to decipher the puzzle. He's a course-and-distance scorer (in this very contest last term), and I'm sure this is his early-season target. Outstanding chance.

ITV Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.