Hard to rule out - Stars to look out for this weekend It’s an exciting time of year for horse racing fans as more and more of our favourite stars are making their seasonal reappearances as the weeks go on. We have another cracking weekend of action to look forward to across Britain and Ireland, with Newbury and Newcastle on Saturday and racing from Fairyhouse across the weekend. With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at which superstars could be on show. Fighting Fifth sees huge clash Newcastle’s highlight is Britain’s first Grade 1 two-mile hurdle of the season, the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, and we should learn plenty about the home team’s Champion Hurdle challengers. Constitution Hill will be bidding to get his career back on track after a very disappointing spring campaign. Successive falls in the Champion Hurdle and Aintree Hurdle were followed by a bitterly disappointing effort at the Punchestown Festival. Connections seem confident that he’s back to somewhere near his best and he’ll have to be in order to win here. The New Lion got the better of The Yellow Clay in a sustained duel up the run-in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and a Champion Hurdle campaign is on the agenda this season. Dan Skelton’s gelding is certainly one to watch. Willie Mullins is also sending a runner over to Newcastle and the unbeaten Anzadam will be testing his credentials at Grade 1 level for the first time. He’s been very impressive in two starts for Mullins and was last seen winning a Grade 3 by 11 lengths. A hot Hatton’s Grace Fairyhouse’s highlight of the weekend is the Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and it could be a riveting race if all the big guns stand their ground. There will be a maximum field of six and two-time winner Teahupoo is once again amongst the contenders. Lossiemouth prevented him from making it three-in-a-row last year, but she’s not here this time around. He was runner-up in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival but returned to winning ways with a comfortable victory at Punchestown. Ballyburn had the world at his feet after winning the 2024 Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle, but he didn’t quite reach the same level over fences last term. Perhaps the return to hurdles can bring him back to his best and he definitely has the ability to go close here. Other fan favourites to look out for The hugely popular Hewick comes over to Britain for the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on Friday and he has some excellent form in the book. Shark Hanlon’s gelding produced a career best performance to win the King George two years ago and has been competitive at a high level since. He’s always dangerous and hard to rule out. Gordon Elliott’s biggest Arkle contender is Romeo Coolio, who is set to make his second start over fences in the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse on Sunday. He was a wide-margin winner at Down Royal earlier this month and his jumping was particularly impressive.
