Newton Abbot, Wednesday 13 May 2026 — Tips & Selections

Newton Abbot, Wednesday 13 May 2026 — Tips & Selections

Newton Abbot on good ground in May is a course that rewards jumping accuracy and genuine stamina. The card is light but there are some interesting angles worth exploiting, particularly where trainer form and race fitness align. With only three featured races worth dissecting in depth, let’s get straight into the ones that matter.

6:30 — Racing Welfare Supporting Mental Health Awareness Handicap Chase (2m5f)

Selection: Move With The Beat — Best price 9/4 (Boyle Sports, Betfred)

Jamie Snowden’s yard is running at a solid 3/12 over the past fortnight, which for a smaller operation suggests the horses are fit and ready. Move With The Beat arrives here on the back of back-to-back wins, that 1-1 finish to his recent form reading tells you everything about where this horse is right now. He carries 156lbs which is workable in a small field, and Isabelle Ryder claims 5lbs to ease that burden further.

The 2m5f trip on good ground at Newton Abbot should suit a horse that has been winning with confidence. Siam Park at 11/4 is a live threat through Joe Tizzard, though the trainer is 0 from 5 in the last 14 days and that yard stat is a red flag. Inca De Lafayette is 5/4 favourite for Paul Nicholls, who is 3 from 9 recently, but the form line of /5321 suggests a horse still finding its feet at this level rather than one ready to win a chase. Move With The Beat is the horse in form and the 9/4 is fair value in a race with only four runners.

5:30 — Classic Car Show On 9th June Novices’ Hurdle (2m1f, 10 runners)

Selection: Lirone Du Seuil Each-Way — Best price 4/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred)

Arctic Voyage is the prohibitive 8/11 favourite and has claims, but at those odds you are doing very little for your betting bank. The angle here is with Dan Skelton’s Lirone Du Seuil at 4/1. Skelton has been in exceptional form across the past two weeks, firing in winners at an 11/33 clip, and he rarely sends a horse to a summer jumping track without it being primed. Harry Skelton is in the saddle, which is always significant when the trainer has a runner worth backing.

Lirone Du Seuil has a form figure of 2 over hurdles in France and while the /2/84 domestic line looks patchy, the RPR of 106 gives him a fighting chance in this company. With 10 runners and each-way terms of 3 places at 1/5 odds, there is genuine each-way value at the 4/1 price. Arbitration at 9/4 is the other danger without an RPR, meaning the Skelton runner at twice the price represents the smarter play for punters looking for a return on their money.

7:30 — St. Austell Brewery Handicap Chase (3m2f)

Selection: Hoe Joly Smoke — Best price 5/4 (all bookmakers)

The headline RPR belongs to Hoe Joly Smoke at 147, and Dan Skelton’s form figures over the past fortnight make this hard to oppose. With Harry Skelton back in the saddle, the combination is dangerous at any price. The concern is a recent run of 33566, which does not scream imminent winner, but the good ground at Newton Abbot over 3m2f is a different proposition to heavier winter conditions and the top RPR in a four-runner field counts for a lot.

Viroflay is the 13/8 alternative with Paul Nicholls, and the form of 22120 shows plenty of placed efforts but also a willingness to win. Miss Olive Nicholls claims 5lbs, which helps. Lord Baddesley at 7/1 for Anthony Honeyball is best ignored given the trainer’s 1/9 stat recently. Between the two main protagonists, Hoe Joly Smoke’s RPR edge and the Skelton yard’s current momentum tips it in his favour, but it is a tight race and the 5/4 is a short enough price to keep stakes modest.

Today’s NAP