Saturday Racing Tips: Trust Mission in Newbury feature

The big freeze is taking hold of the UK & Ireland but there are still four meetings - at Doncaster, Newbury, Bangor and Fairyhouse - scheduled to take place on Saturday.

Among our fancies is one for trainer John McConnell, who is bidding to end a long losing run in the big race at Newbury.

13:40 Newbury - Jet Powered @ 5/2

The lightly raced six-year-old Jet Powered cost 350,000gns after winning his sole Irish point and looked like he could make up into a top-class novice hurdler last season following his easy victory in a 2m maiden hurdle at this meeting. However, he has run only once since.

Jet Powered was turned over at 2/7 when a red-hot favourite to follow up his course win here at the Challow Hurdle meeting after Christmas and finished 29 lengths behind winner Jupiter Du Gite. That clearly wasn’t his form and he has been off the track since that effort.

Jet Powered was quoted at just 6/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle following his win here last year, which gives you an idea of his potential, and he starts off on his handicap debut from a mark of just 131. If he is to develop into a Grade 1 hurdler, he should win this easily.

Trainer Nicky Henderson loves a winner at this meeting and has a superb record with horses returning from long layoffs. He can be trusted to have Jet Powered at his peak following a 336-day absence and the step up to 2m41/2f can also bring improvement from the selection.

14:35 Fairyhouse - Gust Of Wind @ 9/4

Willie Mullins is starting to bring out some of his better horses and Gust Of Wind makes plenty of appeal in this Grade 3 hurdle now that he makes his return from a 236-day break.

Gust Of Wind competed solely in Grade 1 company on his first two starts for the Mullins stable last season and followed his fifth at Leopardstown in February with a fourth in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He was beaten only 10 lengths in that event.

The lightly raced four-year-old sets the standard on that form and ran another solid race when third behind Enjoy The Dream in strong Grade 2 company at Fairyhouse in April.

This is a bit easier than the races in which Gust Of Wind competed last season and there should be further improvement to come from him with another summer behind him. It will be disappointing if he can’t break his maiden over hurdles in Ireland for top rider Paul Townend.

14:50 Newbury - Mahler Mission @ 17/2

It’s been a long time since Irish trainer John McConnell was in form, but Mahler Mission showed he is still in top form when finishing second in the Colin Parker at Carlisle on his seasonal reappearance and can be trusted to build on that now he is back up in trip.

Mahler Mission looked certain to win the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham last season before falling at the second-last fence and would have found 2m4f on the short side on his return at Carlisle. It was therefore encouraging that he was beaten only by Thunder Rock.

That rival is all about speed and simply had too much pace for Mahler Mission in the closing stages. It was a superb effort to finish only three and a half lengths behind that classy horse.

The 3m2f trip should be ideal for Mahler Mission and this has been the plan all season. He looks fairly treated off a mark of 151 on his handicap debut and Ben Harvey takes 3lb off.