Flat season kicks-off at Newbury Racecourse

The Flat is back at Newbury Racecourse on Friday with the first meeting of the new campaign on the level.

The action kicks off at 1.52pm with a five furlong maiden stakes for two-year-old’s in class four before the card comes to a close at 5.20pm with a class three handicap over the six furlong trip.

Read below to discover the latest tips and a full preview of the first Flat meeting of the new season at Newbury courtesy of Sporting Life.

The opening contest of the new season is at 1.52 on Friday as a field of eleven two-year-old’s head to the stalls for the class four maiden stakes over the quick five furlong trip.

Preference in the opener heads the way of Siren Suit for the John & Thady Gosden yard, who is out of a Group 3 winner in Angel’s Hideaway and looks a very likeable sort on debut.

The Richard Hannon team have saddled the winner of this race for the last two years and therefore, Private Affair cannot be ruled on on his first racecourse start.

Another 11-runner field takes to the track for race two of the afternoon with a maiden fillies’ stakes, this time for three-year-old’s (2.27).

Trainer William Haggas has won this race a couple of times in recent years and Consecrated, a half-sister to the very smart Sacred for the same connections, gets the vote here.

The Gosdens send Dubawi filly Cajole here, a likely-type for a reading stable so is taken to be right in the mix as well.

Another maiden fillies’ stakes marks race three on the Newbury card (3.03) over the mile and a quarter trip.

Given her pedigree and being trained by the Gosdens, it is hard to look past Queen Of Thieves here, sure to do much better with a year’s experience under her belt and tackling a more suitable trip here having finished fifth on Debut at Doncaster in October.

The midway point of the seven-race card arrives at 3.37 with a class two novice stakes over one mile and two furlongs and a £20,616 top prize on offer.

There is plenty of potential on show, not least Andrew Balding’s Falconer, who made a winning start at Nottingham last season and can return this campaign in style.

Gethin is a Ghaiyyath colt and was also a winner of a Nottingham debut last season - and also holds an entry in the Derby this season - so is very much of interest, as is hefty 210,000 Guineas buy Dangerman for the Gosdens, who have booked top jockey William Buick for the ride.

Moon Over Miami had little go right at Lingfield on his most recent outing and it will be something of a surprise if he doesn't have a bigger performance in his locker given how he shaped at Kempton on his penultimate outing, so he earns the vote in race five (4.10).

Charging Thunder has been thriving for James Owen and remains well treated on old form so rates the main threat.

Varying degrees of readiness will be on show with all bar one making their seasonal return in the penultimate race on the Newbury card (4.45).

Preference before market clues is for Spirit Of Farhh, trained by Even Johnson Houghton, who bumped into some useful sorts on his first couple of outings and made it third time lucky comprehensively in a big-field maiden here back in October.

Finally, the card comes to a close at 5.20 as a field of 11 tackle the six furlong handicap in class three and trainer Johnson Houghton could bring the card to a close with a double with Change Sings who boasts a fine strike rate in sprint handicaps and made a highly encouraging return at Kempton last month.

Newbury selections - Friday

1.52 - Siren Suit

2.27 - Consecrated

3.03 - Queen Of Thieves

3.37 - Falconer

4.10 - Moon Over Miami

4.45 - Spirit Of Farhh

5.20 - Change Sings