'The soft ground won't be a problem and he has all the right credentials' - top trainers on their Betfair Hurdle hopes

Neil King enjoyed many good days with the teak-tough Lil Rockerfeller and with his Betfair Hurdle candidate Lookaway he has unearthed another horse who can take him to the best meetings on the racing calendar.

The dual Grade 2 winner has been a model of consistency this season, finishing runner-up in the Greatwood Hurdle over this distance before finishing second again at this track in the Grade 1 Challow, and King is one of few trainers unperturbed by the wet forecast.

"The rain will help us and make it more of a test of stamina by blunting some of the speed in the race and he's proven plenty of times he handles soft ground," he said.

Lookaway: big player in the Betfair HurdleCredit: John Grossick

Lookaway will be partnered by Jack Quinlan, who won this race on soft ground aboard Kalashnikov in 2018, and preparations have gone smoothly ahead of the big day.

King said: "Jack came in and schooled him on Tuesday morning just to give him a refresher over hurdles and he was great. All is good and we're very much looking forward to it.

"It's been a long time since Lil Rockerfeller, so we're delighted to have a horse of his calibre. He's a smashing horse and lovely to do anything with, so hopefully there's a bright future ahead of him."

RP Recommends: how to bet on the Betfair Hurdle

By Tom Park, audience editor

With 24 runners and potentially heavy ground, you're going to need every tool at your disposal to help you turn a profit in the Betfair Hurdle, so be wary of the each-way place terms on offer.

Sky Bet and William Hill are offering seven places on the big race, but it is worth checking both firms to see which are the best price out of the pair as neither offer best odds guaranteed (BOG) on the race.

• Introducing RP Recommends, our new bookmaker advice service 

Sky Bet are often a couple of points lower than other firms with lesser places, but it is worth remembering you can always take their place terms at SP if you suspect your selection is on the short side.

William Hill tend to be closer to the market with their prices and offer customers one bet boost a day that could be used to enhance your odds, usually up to a value of £20.

If BOG is a concession you would like on your side, bet365 offer this from 8am on the day of the race and are paying a generous six places on the race. If you're having a bet in the morning (8am-12pm) I would recommend taking the six places with bet365 as, with the heavy conditions and competitive nature of the race, BOG is good to have as the market is subject to big swings.

If you're betting close to the off then the seven places with Sky Bet and William Hill becomes more attractive, but be wary if you're not taking advantage of the each-way terms that their prices are often shorter than other firms and you also don't get BOG.

Going update

Clerk of the course George Hill is hopeful Newbury will not have cause to call an inspection if the forecast is correct.

"It's not going to dry out too much," he said on Friday. "It's heavy, soft in places and we're due a bit more rain, between two to seven millimetres, early this evening. I don't have any concerns at the moment. If we get the rain that's forecast we should be fine but if we get double those figures then that's a different story.

"I was forecast 25 to 35 millimetres at the start of the week and there's been 45 millimetres already. We'll monitor it but at the moment we can take a bit more rain and I'm happy."

• Nicky Henderson slams 'ultra-ridiculous' 6lb difference in mark for Betfair Hurdle favourite 

What they say

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Iberico Lord and Doddiethegreat
Nico [de Boinville] feels Iberico Lord will like this softer ground and Doddiethegreat might well handle it too. I cannot explain why Iberico Lord stopped quickly at Ascot – nothing has come to light and his work has been very good.

Gary Moore, trainer of Spirit D'Aunou and Yorksea
Spirit D'Aunou will go in the ground no problem, but he's got his fair share of weight. It's always been the plan, but it's a bad plan when you're running with that much weight and that's the trainer's fault. Hopefully Yorksea will go in the ground as well if he starts. He was fourth in the race last year and ran a hell of a race. This is going to be his last chance.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Faivoir, Knickerbockerglory and L'Eau Du Sud
L'Eau Du Sud had ulcers after his run in the Greatwood, which was very disappointing as we fancied him that day. His work has been good again at home. From last year he's become a horse who should have a chance in a race like this. Faivoir has been to all these races but does it on his own terms and Heidi Palin is riding him. She has lots of experience as an amateur and she's ridden him plenty at home. He'll like the ground. The more rain the better for Knickerbockerglory as he loves it as bad as it can be.

Willie Mullins, trainer of Ocastle Des Mottes, Alvaniy and Onlyamatteroftime 
Ocastle Des Mottes does look well-in at the weights, but it's going to be a tough task given it's his first run since coming to us from France. It's a top-class British handicap with a big prize, though, so we're going to have a go. Onlyamatteroftime will need to improve to get among the money, while Bryony [Frost] will have her work cut out for her to get Alvaniy to pick up some prize-money too.

Victor Dartnall, trainer of Aurigny Mill
He's shown he can cope with this ground. It's a big test but we've had a clear run with him, which we didn't get last year, he's improving and he's learned to settle.

Harry Fry, trainer of Altobelli
We're happy with all of the rain. You only need to watch his last run back and see his action to see slower ground would be a positive. We're hoping he can build on two positive runs in handicaps so far this season, the experience has done him good and hopefully he can be competitive.

Olly Murphy, trainer of Go Dante
He goes there in very good form. I feel he's still better than his mark and it's a case of the more rain the better for him. He should have an each-way chance.

David Pipe, trainer of Jilaijone
We've freshened him up since he disappointed at Sandown, when we probably ran him too quickly. He has form on all types of ground and he wants a true-run race, which he should get, so he's a lively outsider.

Nigel Hawke, trainer of Donnacha
I don't think the softer ground will be a problem and he's got all the right credentials. He's done nothing wrong this season at all, so we're hopeful he'll run well.

Read these next:

2024 Betfair Hurdle at Newbury: the runners, the odds, the verdict 

Who will win the 2024 Betfair Hurdle at Newbury based on previous trends? 

Five years of profit in a row for Ante-Post Pricewise - subscribe to Members' Club now with 50% off for Tom Segal's Cheltenham tips! 

Do you want £700+ of free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.