Newbury, Friday 17 April 2026: Tips and Best Bets

Newbury, Friday 17 April 2026: Tips and Best Bets

Newbury stages a solid Friday card with good ground across the board, which opens up the form book nicely. Three races stand out for punters looking for value, and there is a strong case for at least one double-figure price to reward each-way backers on a card where the market has left a few horses in advantageous positions. With the weekend almost here, let's get into it.

3:42 — Darley EBF Novice Stakes (1m2f, Good)

Selection: Alfaraz Each-Way (6/1, Bet365)

The market is dominated by Charlie Appleby's unbeaten Shabab Al Ahli at 6/5, and while a single run winner deserves respect, his form at this stage is a one-line entry. The step up to 1m2f on turf is an unknown. You are being asked to take short odds on a horse that has never been asked a serious question.

Maltese Cross at 9/4 is a legitimate danger. His Newmarket maiden win showed real guts and the Dante and Derby entry tells you William Haggas rates him. But the Haggas yard is running at just 2 from 26 in the last 14 days, which is a significant cold spell for a stable that usually fires at this time of year. That stat is worth filing away.

The value sits with Alfaraz at 6/1 for Andrew Balding, who is in considerably better form with 8 winners from 40 runners in the same period. A 300,000 guineas Nathaniel yearling, he ran twice as a two-year-old without winning but the form holds up well. His Epsom run placed him behind a subsequent Listed winner and the way he kept finding in defeat suggested a horse that needed more time and more ground. He gets both today. The step to 1m2f is the key upgrade, and Oisin Murphy in the saddle at a track where Balding regularly does his best work makes this a genuine each-way play at three times the price of the jolly.

4:55 — Dubai Duty Free Full Of Surprises Handicap (7f, Good, 15 runners)

Selection: Stellar Sunrise Each-Way (6/1, William Hill / Betfred)

The race that will generate the most interest on the card, and rightly so. Fifteen runners, a competitive 3yo handicap, and a race that suits horses who have proven they can handle big-field turf conditions.

Colori Forever at 7/2 is the most heavily backed horse in the race and there is obvious logic to his claim. His Southwell performance 12 days ago was a proper performance and the significant support that came for him that day suggests connections knew he was ready to bounce forward. The 6lb penalty hurts a little, but he remains a serious player.

Fort Rock at 5/1 for Charlie Appleby and William Buick carries the allure of an unbeaten record but both wins came on the all-weather at Kempton. A handicap and turf debut simultaneously is asking for quite a lot of trust from punters, regardless of the trainer's 9 from 24 form in the last two weeks.

The play at the price is Stellar Sunrise for Andrew Balding. His Glorious Goodwood win as a two-year-old, seeing off 14 rivals over 6f on good ground, showed he handles a big field on turf. He then stepped up to 7f at York's Ebor meeting, good to firm, and was impressive in an 18-runner nursery. The only question mark was his run in a Group 3 here over the same course and distance in October on soft ground, when he dropped away late. The key word is soft. He is back on good ground today, back at the course and distance where he showed that near-Group-3 level form, and the Balding yard is humming. Six to one in a 15-runner handicap for a horse with strong form at the venue and on the going is the kind of price that wins races.

4:20 — cityam.com Handicap (2m½f, Good)

Selection: Classical Allusion (7/4, Bet365 / William Hill)

An eight-runner staying handicap that looks to have a clear form angle. Classical Allusion is short enough at 7/4, but this is the kind of race where backing the logical winner at a fair price is the right call rather than chasing something bigger without a strong angle.

He has run just twice. He won a Southwell maiden on debut and then, in only his second career start, finished two lengths behind Constitution Hill at Kempton in March. Constitution Hill is a superstar hurdler who is clearly talented on the Flat too, and the fact Classical Allusion made the dual Champion Hurdle winner work harder than expected speaks volumes. His connections are clearly confident in what they have on their hands, otherwise a horse with two career runs would not be appearing in a handicap off this mark over 2m on turf.

Andrew Balding has three runners on this card and the yard is in form. Oisin Murphy is aboard again. The 2m trip is a progression from 1m4f and his pedigree says it should suit. The rivals are a mixed bunch. Pole Star has ability but comes here on a five-race sequence that ended with a zero, and the Charlie Johnston yard is a modest 4 from 45 lately. Blazeon Five did her best work on softer ground last year. None of what faces Classical Allusion here is without question marks. Back him to win.

Today's NAP