Paul Kealy had a 5-1 winner on Thursday and is back with three Newbury fancies on Friday

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Marble Sands
1.50 Newbury
1pt win

Karl Philippe
2.25 Newbury
1pt each-way

Ramo
3.35 Newbury
1pt win

With due respect to the established performers in the Coral Long Distance Hurdle (3.00), the most fascinating race of the day at Newbury has to be the Coral John Francome Novices' Chase (1.50).

This Grade 2 has been won by the likes of Coneygree, Clan Des Obeaux and Champ in the last ten years, and if there's going to be another Grade 1 chaser in the field it will probably be Hermes Allen.

Last season's Challow Novices' Hurdle winner has plenty to live up to as Paul Nicholls' last three winners of that Newbury Grade 1 before him were Denman, Bravemansgame and Stage Star.

We can usually expect even the high-class Nicholls hurdlers to do even better over fences and there's no doubt Hermes Allen is the right favourite.

This looks a decidedly warm race, though, with all six runners priced at under 10-1, and Hermes Allen will have to be pretty straight to beat some promising rivals, most of whom have had at least one run.

Stage Star was beaten at odds of 2-7 in this last year and, with that in mind, I'm happy to take him on at a short price, albeit nowhere near as short as his stablemate was.

Nickle Back is the one the bookmakers prefer as his main rival and it's fair to say he's been a revelation since being switched to fences and allowed his head.

If this was his chase debut he'd be 100-1, but he has already shown what an improved performer he is with a 24-length win at Warwick and a 19-length romp at Stratford, and a 22lb rise in the ratings means he's just 1lb off Hermes Allen's hurdles mark.

My problem with him is that I thought he looked very tired at the end last time, and a similar level of form will be the minimum requirement.

It's all right whizzing around tight tracks against lesser rivals, but this more galloping circuit in a better race represents a big step up, and my guess is he's going to need a tidy lead at the last to hang on up the long run-in.

Given he has pace pressure from Tightenourbelts, and possibly Hermes Allen, I'm keen to oppose him in the place markets and will be backing Marble Sands.

This seven-year-old spent two seasons as a novice over hurdles and couldn't boast the body of work of Hermes Allen, but he won three times last term and finished alongside him in the Ballymore when the pair were fifth and sixth to Impaire Et Passe.

Marble Sands was then a creditable staying-on sixth to Apple Away over 3m½f in the Sefton at Aintree, which also featured impressive recent chase debutants Iroko (third) and Stay Away Fay (fourth), but the real pointer to his chances is his winning chase debut in handicap company at Ayr four weeks ago.

Sent off an 11-1 outsider on his first run over a distance anywhere near as short as 2m½f over obstacles, he travelled and jumped well, joined issue at the last and won going away.

To do that over that trip when he clearly stays so much further strongly suggests he's going to be a much better chaser than a hurdler, and he can bustle up the favourite.

Nicholls' Kandoo Kid is the one to beat in the Coral Racing Club Handicap Chase (2.25) based on a fine second over course and distance last time, but I reckon I've got one to take him on.

Karl Philippe looked a chaser of promise when beating Zanza, who runs in Saturday's Coral Gold Cup off a 21lb higher mark, at Wetherby first time up last season.

He didn't go on from there, but wasn't entirely disgraced in three red-hot handicaps (seventh of 16th on Trials day at Cheltenham, seventh of 23 in the Ultima and eighth of 15 at Aintree) and his handicap mark has slipped backed to just 4lb higher than the one off which he won.

Karl Philippe can be competitive off that and, given he has first-time-out form figures of 1121, this looks the time to be backing him.

Finally, in the hope that Venetia Williams can continue her superb November form into December, Ramo is the suggestion against the hat-trick-seeking Hyland in the Play Coral 'Racing-Super-Series' For Free Handicap Hurdle (3.35).

This is one teak-tough six-year-old who keeps finding more when challenged, and he made it three wins in his last four starts when scoring over 2m5½f at Ludlow three weeks ago.

That trip looked to be on the short side given what he was doing in the spring, yet, despite being only a length clear at the last and then ploughing through it, he still managed to pull a further couple of lengths ahead at the line.

He's clearly thriving, will relish the step up in trip and can make the most of the 12lb he gets from the favourite.

Read these next:

The Punt Acca: Charlie Huggins' three horse racing tips at Doncaster, Musselburgh and Newbury on Friday  

Friday's free racing tips: six horses to consider putting in your multiples  

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