Elysian Knight ridden by Conor O’Farrell (left)

The second month of the year is normally the weakest for top-class racing and with no entries for the Dublin Racing Festival available at the time of writing and with the Cheltenham Festival around the corner you have to delve deep to find any racing of substance to preview. The Newbury Handicap Hurdle (formerly the Betfair and way before that the Schweppes) stands out.
Newbury will also host the Den-man Chase and the Game Spirit, while the Grand National Trial at Haydock Park is a real slug fest but with the changed lay out of the big one ...