Richard Newland looking for another big day at Ascot with one eye on the future

[ASFN Admin]

Grand National-winning trainer Richard Newland is looking for another big day at Ascot on Saturday, but is also already planning for racing to welcome back owners in the summer. Newland, who won the 2014 Grand National with 25-1 outsider Pineau De Re when he had 12 horses, has yet to win a Grade 1 race with the National being a Grade 3 handicap. Saturday’s top-grade Clarence House Chase, won by greats such as Desert Orchid, Sprinter Sacre and Altior, gives him a chance with former Swinton Hurdle winner Le Patriote, who ran in last year’s Champion Hurdle. Le Patriote, given the Arkle and Marsh Chase entry at the Cheltenham Festival this week, is the outsider of the 10 still entered for the Matchbook-sponsored feature, unsurprisingly against the likes of Champion Chase winner Politologue, last year’s winner Defi Du Seuil and King George runner-up Waiting Patiently. Newland is realistic about his chances but the trainer’s stats at Ascot give hope with his dozen winners returning over £50 to each £1 bet on his 67 runners with nearly half of them finishing in the first four. The trainer said: “He is realistically running for some prize-money (fourth earns over £5,000) but he loves the track and the more testing ground will be in his favour.” Explaining the method in his madness, Newland added: “He has won two novices so would have a double penalty for another novice, racing for less than finishing in the money on Saturday.” While Newland has not yet decided whether to run Benson, another of his Ascot winners, in the valuable Holloway Handicap Hurdle, he is debuting a recent expensive addition on Saturday’s card. Vulcan, who cost 170,000gns out of Harry Dunlop’s stable, runs in the opening bet365 Juvenile Hurdle, hoping to emulate the same connections’ Sage Advice, who cost them a mere 65,000gns and made a winning debut at Kempton earlier this month. The Worcestershire trainer made his name with a potent combination of syndicates and summer jumpers and is going back to those roots with a new club which he hopes will be able to enjoy regular race days between April and October. “I bought five horses with the objective of getting back to what we did best and, after a very challenging year, am trying to keep syndicates involved and not lose interest,” said Newland, who is leasing the five to a new syndicate, capped at 50 members, being put together with Foxtrot Racing’s organiser Dan Abraham. Newland added: “I don’t see myself getting 20 wealthy people wanting to spend £100,000 on a horse in the current climate so buying cheaper horses makes sense and, with five horses with different profiles, hopefully the syndicate will have an interest regularly and enjoy days out in the summer when hopefully allowed back at the stables and on the track.”

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