Friday's Racing Tips: Boughey's charge ready to Roc at Newcastle

Aidan Perkins

Mar 31

There's lots of racing action ahead on the final day of March, with six meetings scheduled across Britain and Ireland.

Jumps action comes from Wetherby and Wexford, while a flurry of all-weather action is taking place at Lingfield and Southwell in the afternoon before Newcastle and Dundalk take over with their evening cards.

Amongst our Friday fancies is a returning sprinter making the 300-mile round trip to the north-east bidding to open his account for trainer George Boughey.

Selections

Newcastle 5.50 - Beau Roc @ 5/1
Wetherby 3.25 - Hardy Du Seuil @ 4/1
Lingfield 3.35 - Rubina Rose @ 11/4

Tip 1

A novice contest over the flying five-furlongs at Newcastle in which Rhythm N Hooves will have leading claims under the returning Hollie Doyle as she gets set for the start of the Flat turf season at Doncaster on Saturday.

Archie Watson's gelding was clear second-best on debut at Wolverhampton over this trip a fortnight ago, narrowly giving best to the experienced though hardly progressive Cuban Grey despite having the running rail to aid him. He can step up from that effort and is a key player but conceding 5lb to BEAU ROC (5/1) could be a tough ask.

The Brazen Beau filly was second in all three starts as a two-year-old, at Wolverhampton and Brighton in June before tackling 6f at Lingfield in July and getting held a neck on the line.

She should have more in her and returning to 5f for this seasonal bow is a positive. She's already getting 5lb and her cause is aided still further by in-form claimer Connor Planas taking off the same again.

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Tip 2

Jamie Snowden and Gavin Sheehan teamed up to good effect with a Cheltenham Festival winner recently and they can land this two-mile handicap hurdle with HARDY DU SEUIL (4/1) as he takes a noted drop in class having contested the Imperial Cup at Sandown three weeks ago.

He won twice over fences in the 2021/22 campaign for this stable after arriving from France and was placed in Grade 2 novice company at Haydock in a consistent though winless spring.

Back over hurdles this season, he has improved race-to-race and opened his account at Sandown (2m, soft) in January before finishing a fair seven of 16 in that Imperial Cup earlier this month.

That was a role-reversal with Iceo, behind in second in the January race but a winner of the Imperial Cup for Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden as Hardy Du Seuil was unable to land any telling blow having been further back than ideal throughout.

Based on his chasing form, this mark of 128 should still be exploitable and a pair of first-time cheekpieces can aid the cause as he drops in class for this visit to West Yorkshire.

He's on the Most Napped table via the Betfred Betfinder for Friday's racing action and is fancied to justify that slot for an in-form trainer.

Tip 3

A Fillies' Handicap over a mile-and-a-quarter at Lingfield where three-year-olds Cantora and RUBINA ROSE (11/4) both have scope for improvement.

George Boughey's Cantora Rose won twice on turf at the backend of last season, scoring at Leicester and Redcar over 7f/1m both on heavy ground. She should relish the extra distance but has to prove herself as effective on this surface and preference is for Marco Botti's daughter of Nathaniel, a winner at Wolverhampton five weeks ago on comeback.

Andrea Atzeni was on board for the first time in that race and, after briefly looking outpaced three-furlongs from home, his filly really settled to the task and won quite comfortably in the home straight. That was over 1m1½f and she will be suited by the extra distance. She has that fitness edge and, for now, may be ahead of the market-leading Cantora in their respective developments.

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