WINCANTON Racecourse hosts an early-season Premier Raceday this weekend with a seven-race card on Saturday (November 8).

This includes two Grade 2 contests and also the 64th running of the Badger Beers Handicap Chase.

The card kicks off at 12.35pm with a class three novices’ hurdle before wrapping up at 4.05pm with a bumper over the mile and three quarter trip.

Read below for a rundown of the Wincanton card on Saturday courtesy of Racing TV, who have the latest horse racing free bet offers.

Up first is a class three novices’ hurdle contrast over the mile and seven furlong trip (12.35pm).

The Paul Nicholls-trained Miss Altea Blue is yet to reproduce her French form, but she wasn’t disgraced at Cheltenham in April and gets the nod to notch a second win back in novice company ahead of stablemate Fasol.

A field of seven will head to the start for race two on the card (1.10pm) and Bourbali looks the way to go here for the Joe Tizzard team in the two and a half mile handicap chase.

Bourbali was third after a six-month layoff last time out at Kempton and has dropped 2lb in the weights here so can capitalise on that to score. Nickelforce is the next best for the Ben Case yard, runner-up for the fourth time at Market Rasen 25 days ago and may well have to settle for the same result at Wincanton.

Trainer Nicholls can bring up a quick double on the card with Jubilee Alpha in race three of the afternoon (1.45pm) as seven runners tackle the two mile and five furlong mares’ handicap hurdle, a previous course winner that ended last season well with a win in a Listed hurdle contest at Cheltenham so should progress once again to make it back-to-back wins.

The first Grade 2 of the afternoon is up next at 2.23pm as a small field of five head to post for the Rising Stars Novices’ Chase and battle for a top-prize of £44,580.

An Irish raider gets the nod here with Henry De Bromhead’s Cobra Queen, who is stepping up in class having looked very adept since switching to chasing from hurdling having won mares’ events at both Tramore and Roscommon in her last two starts and coming from a premier yard, will be tough to beat.

Nicholls has a good shout here with Blueking D’oroux, surprisingly turned over on chasing debut at Newton Abbot three weeks back but should come on for that experience.

Another Grade 2 follows next at 2.55pm with the Elite Hurdle but a disappointing field of four will take on the mile and three quarter contest.

Rubaud is the clear selection here for the Nicholls team and will likely go off a very prohibitive odds-on shot, a smart hurdler that was a decisive winner of a listed contest at Kempton last time out, is very hard to oppose and should land this race for a third straight year.

The big race of the day is up next as seven runners tackle the 64th edition of the Badger Beers Handicap Chase (3.30pm).

The Nicholls team have won this race a record 11 times and have a good chance with Threeunderthrufive, a smart chaser that had a rare failure when pulling up in the Grand National at Aintree and again at the Gold Cup at Sandown but it is too early to write him off. 

That said, the pick this year heads to Art Of Diplomacy for trainer Mickey Bowen, who would have made it six wins from six runs had he not fallen at the last at Chepstow last month and is in the form of his life right now.

Finally, the card comes to a close with a class two bumper at 4.05pm, with preference in the finale heading the way Kilnew Supreme to complete a dominant day for the Nicholls yard, a runner up in his only point-to-point outing in Ireland and picked up for £110,000 at the sales with those in this contest with experience not offering too much in terms of opposition – and the yard won this race last year with Swingin Safari.

Wincanton selections – Saturday

• 12.35pm – Miss Altea Blue
• 1.10pm – Bourbali
• 1.45pm – Jubilee Alpha
• 2.23pm – Cobra Queen
• 2.55pm – Rubaud
• 3.30pm – Art Of Diplomacy
• 4.05pm – Kilnew Supreme