Horse racing tips for Saturday: Picks for Kelso, Newbury and Southwell

There are six meetings set to take place in Britain and Ireland on Saturday (weather permitting), four quality jumps cards from Doncaster, Kelso, Newbury and Navan – the latter the subject of an inspection.

There’s also a pair of AW Flat fixtures, the Listed Spring Cup, the feature race from Lingfield before Southwell’s bumper nine-race twilight card.

Our expert, Colm Doyle, has provided his top three bets for the day’s action, including one from Kelso’s Morebattle Hurdle card.

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Saturday horse racing tips

• 2.55 Kelso – Quaviste
• 4.23 Newbury – Huffin An A Puffin
• 6.00 Southwell – No Nay Data

2.55 Kelso – Quaviste

It’s been a rather turbulent week for Dan and Harry Skelton, but the yard remains in good form overall and they look to hold strong claims in the feature Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso with the unexposed Quaviste.

The selection has been unable to add to his Huntingdon bumper debut success from a year ago, but he’s been improving steadily with experience over hurdles this term and shaped like this track’s stiff finish would suit when keeping on for a never-nearer fifth in a warm Kempton handicap last month.

He’s been left on a mark of 113, which puts him on a lovely racing weight of just 10st 4lb and there’s definitely the prospect of improvement with this track’s stiff finish likely to play to his strengths.

One of three runners making the long trip north of the border from his yard, I’m hopeful he can enhance the trainer’s already good course strike-rate of 21 per cent (9-42).

4.23 Newbury – Huffin An A Puffin

Lucy Wadham and Tom Cannon teamed up to land the Grade 2 Pendil Novices’ Chase with Jax Junior at Kempton last week and they hold strong claims of another Saturday winner courtesy of Huffin An A Puffin.

The seven-year-old won a Newbury novice hurdle on his introduction in March 2024 for Harry Derham, but wasn’t seen again until earlier this month, the son of Mount Nelson coming home strongly to edge out the highly rated Storming George on his handicap/stable debut over this course-and-distance.

He’s only been put up 3lb for that to a new mark of 123 and, given he was returning from a lengthy absence, you’d be hopeful he’ll come on plenty from a fitness perspective.

6.00 Southwell – No Nay Data

Tom Clover’s No Nay Data got quite het up in the paddock ahead of her introduction at Kempton in October, but she didn’t let it affect her performance in the race itself, keeping on strongly to be beaten a short-head by Ralph Beckett’s odds-on favourite Alarming (placed in Listed company in France subsequently), with the first two pulling well clear of the rest.

A 40,000gns breeze-up purchase and closely related to mile and 1m1f winner Lakota Seven, she came from a fair way back under Jason Watson, but was eating up the ground late on and should know a lot more this time.

Luke Morris, fresh from a career best five-timer at Lingfield earlier this week, takes over in the saddle.

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