1:15 New ‘bet-in-race’ With Coral Handicap Chase 2m 92y

This doesn’t look the most competitive of contests and Martator appears the one they all have to beat after a creditable four and three-quarter lengths second of eight to Etalon in a course and distance contest 10 days ago.

He jumped well in front there and kept on when headed by the Dan Skelton-trained winner, putting up his best effort since joining Venetia Williams.

A repeat of that effort is likely to suffice here, as his main danger on recent form is Guy, who travels well in his races but is hard to win with over fences, while Richhill is an unlikely starter having run poorly at Doncaster on Friday. I think the Martator-Guy forecast is an appealing option in the circumstances.

1:50 Coral Racing Club Join For Free Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 118y

This isn’t an easy race to bet in with a case to be made for all the runners, and it’s just a token selection for me in the shape of Get A Tonic, who was so impressive when beating Anyharminasking over course and distance last time.

She’s gone up 6lb for that success, which complicates matters as it’s never easy carrying 12st in handicap company.

Dan Skelton does seem to have found the key to her now, however, and her record short of three mile over hurdles now reads 211321, with the two most recent defeats at the hands of Hillcrest and Marie’s Rock.

2:25 Coral Mandarin Handicap Chase 3m 1f 214y

The Mandarin isn’t quite the race it once was when it was a regular target for Gold Cup contenders like Mill House, Night Nurse, Ten Plus and Jodami, or even a stepping stone to the Grand National for Maori Venture and Party Politics. It is what it is, however, and victory over this trip at Newbury needs to be earned.

Atlanta Brave makes most appeal now getting a proper test of stamina for the first time under NH rules, and Kerry Lee’s youngster can defy his inexperience against opponents who are for the most part fully exposed.

The five-year-old won a maiden point at Ballingarry in the style of a stayer and has shaped well on all starts since joining Kerry Lee’s Presteigne yard last autumn, with his lesser efforts coming after a break.

Atlanta Brave looked rusty on his chase debut at Cheltenham and showed improved form, when chasing home Enjoy Your Life at Exeter last time, getting outpaced and looking fourth best early in the home straight, but staying on best of all to be beaten two lengths at the line. He will benefit from the longer trip and remains thoroughly unexposed at trips in excess of three miles, with stamina very much his forte.

3:00 Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f 118y

Some of the racing in the UK over the festive period has been lacking depth but the Challow field is certainly up to Grade 1 standard for the time of year and a cracking race is in prospect.

Captain Teague is top rated but while his second in the Hyde Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in November when conceding weight looked good at the time, it has taken a couple of knocks since with The Big Doyen and Kinbara both well beaten since. Nicholls knows how to win the Challow, however, so it would be folly to ignore him.

Willmount is a horse I’ve been very keen on since day one, and I very much hope that he can take the step up in class in his stride after a facile win over shorter here in November.

Willmount’s winning time, which was exactly five seconds slower than the handicap hurdle won by Brentford Hope caused some to suggest he had not achieved a great deal in victory, but the two races were run at very different tempos and it’s important to note that off a much slower pace, Willmount made up a huge amount of ground, relatively speaking, in the latter stages, and was just over ten seconds faster than Brentford Hope from the third-last flight.

That closing sectional confirms he’s a high-class hurdler, albeit not one necessarily in need of a step up in trip. Still, as a point winner out of a bumper-winning Old Vic mare, Willmount ought to be at least as good at this extended two and a half miles as he is at shorter, and he can confirm himself one of the best around with victory here.

3:35 Coral Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase 2m 6f 93y

Timeform say that Walking On Air “will make a chaser”, a comment I would once have taken as gospel, but if he does take to fences, he will be defying strong family traits. His dam was a high-class bumper performer and hurdler but was never tried over fences, and none of her offspring have won over the bigger obstacles.

Granddam Maneree did win over fences but showed her best form over the smaller obstacles and most of the family have been precocious types able to show useful form in bumpers but rarely having the longevity required to make a similar impact over bigger obstacles.

Ready preference here is for Ballycamus from the in-form Twiston-Davies stable. He made a winning start over fences at Chepstow three weeks ago, beating his older full-brother Ballybeen by three-quarters of a length over two miles, three and a half furlongs and he will benefit from the stiffer test here having shown he stays three miles over hurdles.

He also won a point at Oldcastle as a four-year-old, giving weight and a length beating to Frere d’Armes, now rated 134 over fences. He’s 2lb wrong at the weights here, but a mark of 120 could prove lenient in time, and he’s expected to cope with the rise in class.

Haydock Saturday

1:25 Betfred Last Fling Handicap Chase 3m 4f 97y

Collectors Item has been ridden on all but one of his starts to date by Jonjo O’Neill junior, but this stout stayer looks the perfect conveyance for the long-legged Richie McLernon, and he can finally show what he’s capable of over fences now granted a proper test of stamina.

He ran really well over hurdles at Uttoxeter last March and I can see the Midlands National at that corresponding fixture as his ideal target, with the thorough test likely to be ideal for a gelding who was doing all his best work late having got outpaced over three miles at Sandown last time.

Martator to beat Guy 1:15 Newbury - 1pt Exacta

Atlanta Brave 2:25 Newbury – 1pt win @ 6/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes, 5/1 general)

Willmount 3:00 Newbury – 2pts win @ 2/1 (Hills, 7/4 general)

Ballycamus 3:35 Newbury – 1pt win @ 9/2 (general)

Collectors Item 1:25 Haydock – 2pts win @ 2/1 (Hills, 15/8 general)