Spring Trials Weekend Kicks Off at Newbury on Sky Sports Racing

The highly anticipated Spring Trials weekend gets underway at Newbury, with Shabab Al Ahli facing off against Sahara King in the day's feature race, the Darley EBF Novice Stakes. Trained by Charlie Appleby, Shabab Al Ahli is looking to build on his impressive win at Southwell in February, where he earned a quote of 33-1 for the Derby. The Frankel colt will be stepping down in distance, but is expected to be a strong contender. Sahara King, on the other hand, has shown promise with a win on debut at Wolverhampton in November, and will be looking to cause an upset. Another horse to watch is My Love Is King, trained by Gosden, who holds a Derby entry and is currently 40-1 for the big one after winning comfortably at Newcastle in November. The classy Gilded Prize will also be in action, looking to take top honors in the Henri Matisse Coolmore Prix Cleopatre on her way to Chantilly for the Prix de Diane. This scopey daughter of Frankel has made a startling impression in the early days of her career, with a straightforward success on the polytrack and an eye-catching win under Colin Keane on reappearance last month. With a number of exciting pedigrees on show, including Synchronicity, a full-sister to the amazing Ombudsman, and Seet, a half-sister to the reigning champion filly Kalpana, the 2.32pm Bridget 'Confined' Maiden Fillies' Stakes is set to be a thrilling contest. Meanwhile, at Bath, Jack Morland's Hunky Dory will be looking to build on his impressive win at Wolverhampton, despite shouldering a 5lb penalty in the MJ Church Handicap.