Tag: Sandown

Sandown Thursday Preview

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Sir Michael Stoute’s stable has burst into form in the past couple of weeks and he launches an assault across Sandown and Goodwood on Thursday.

The pick of his Sandown runners is Provenance who bolted up at Kempton on his debut and is now tried in handicap company. He does not yet have any high profile entries but I would be surprised if he is not able to follow up off a mark of just 84. The form of his Kempton win may be moderate but he is not up against a very inspiring bunch on Thursday with several of them having flopped last time out.

Russian Heroine should not be hard pushed to take the opener for Stoute after a good debut run at Windsor behind Cajoling. Although no match for the winner, it looks the best form on show in this contest.

Stoute’s third runner of the night is Munaaser in the mile and a quarter handicap. He looked to have been given plenty to do last time but cut down the leader readily before surging five lengths clear. The one thing that worries me about him is his high knee action. The going is good to firm at the Esher track and that could just catch him out.

It is interesting that Ryan Moore partners Cricklewood Green who ran well for Richard Hannon last time. I am not convinced that he will be suited by the conditions either and I’m siding with Luca Cumani’s Roseburg.

He won stylishly at Pontefract over this distance and has much more of a daisy-cutting action suited to quicker ground. He looks a far more tempting proposition at the prices than the Stoute horse. I will also be keeping an eye on Gold Trail who showed plenty of promise as a juvenile but is yet to race this season.

Stoute’s fourth runner is Savant in the maiden race but there is a long odds-on favourite here in Mutakkayef. He took two bumps when beaten by a decent sort in Barley Mow at Newmarket and this looks a lot easier to win.

Russian Heroine 5.55 Sandown

Provenance 7.00 Sandown at 11-8 BetVictor

Roseburg 7.35 Sandown at 10-1 BetVictor

Bet365 Gold Cup Preview

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Without wishing to sound like an old fuddy-duddy, the Bet365 Gold Cup still needs translating to the Whitbread Gold Cup to understand its significance. Sponsors come and go but certain races like the Hennessy have a fixed place in the National Hunt calendar and the Whitbread is the traditional end-of-season staying chase.

It’s been a while since it has captured the imagination like it used to with the likes of Diamond Edge, Special Cargo and Mr Frisk, but it can still produce a thrilling climax to the National Hunt season. We are now paying for the fine bank holiday with a return to miserably wet weather and the going is currently good to soft at the Esher track. It shouldn’t change too drastically so there won’t be any excuses on account of the ground.

Godsmejudge missed his appointment at Aintree this season after a couple of disappointing displays but bounced right back to his best in the Scottish Grand National at Ayr. He couldn’t quite provide us with a winner there but ran right to the line to finish second and must have sound claims tomorrow. Wayne Hutchinson is back on board and my only reservation is that the race is quite soon after his last effort.

Bury Parade is worthy of consideration but he has been raised again by the handicapper for a defeat last time. He ran on strongly to finish second and hasn’t shown any signs of his refusal to race earlier in the season. I’m just going to pass him over on account of his big weight.

Many of the others are on a retrieval mission after failing at Aintree or Cheltenham including Burton Port and Hadrian’s Approach. Burton Port was backed for the Grand National but got no further than the second fence. It is interesting to see AP McCoy back on him here but I’m not convinced that his second in the veterans’ chase showed him to be back to his best.

Spring Heeled foiled our selection, Cause Of Causes, at the festival and has a 9lbs penalty for that victory. I’m not sure that it will be soft enough for Rigadin De Beauchene but it may be worth having a saver on Same Difference. He was second here a year ago, although that did follow a win at Cheltenham. He has been a long way short of his best this season but his fifth last time suggested he could be on the way back.

Godsmejudge at 12-1 BetVictor

Same Difference at 10-1 Bet365

Sandown Friday Preview

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The Gordon Richards Stakes card at Sandown has been given something of a revamp and has attracted a fine quality card for Channel 4 viewers on Friday.

The star of the show is Telescope who reappears in the feature event for Sir Michael Stoute. Last season he was hyped out of all proportion before and after the Derby but proved himself a quality colt when winning the Great Voltigeur at York.

The original plan had been the Epsom Derby but a rushed preparation failed to get him ready in time. He then won at Leicester by 24 lengths before failing at odds-on at Haydock. Stoute felt that his critics were hard on him at the time and must have revelled in his York victory. Whether he can be another Harbinger is open to question but I’d be disappointed if he cannot win this.

There is a cracking field in the Bet365 Mile and I cannot split Garswood, Montiridge and Top Notch Tonto. The latter’s prospects will increase if the rain keeps falling while Garswood is yet to fulfil his true potential. Richard Fahey couldn’t seem to settle on his best trip last season and this is his first tilt at a mile since the 2000 Guineas.

Montiridge travels so easily in his races but does not always find a lot in the closing stages. You just can’t help but love Top Notch Tonto with his white legs! It is like watching one of those old westerns when he comes galloping through. I’m going to pass on this one but all three will win races this season.

Gosden and Buick are continuing on their merry way and I expect Western Hymn to boost his Derby prospects with a win in the Classic Trial. I like Newbury as a track for spotting future winners and there was plenty to like about the way he knuckled down to win there last time. Truth Or Dare and Sir Jack Layden have the best form in the book but both are well exposed. I’d be more worried about Red Galileo stepping up on last year’s form but Western Hymn should give us a nice double with Telescope.

Channel 4 are also showing the Esher Cup at 1.40 and there are a couple of horses for your notebook here too. Sacred Act and End Of Line both hold Group 1 entries and the market will be a good guide to their respective chances.

Telescope at 11-10 Paddy Power

Western Hymn at 4-6 Bet365

Imperial Cup Preview

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Sandown’s Imperial Cup has become a qualifier for the County Hurdle at Cheltenham this season with several of the leading fancies needing to win to earn a place in the Cheltenham field. It is a decent prize in itself with £70,000 in prize money but the focus of attention this year is supposed “handicap good thing”, Regal Encore.

The gelding was bought by JP McManus after an impressive bumper victory and finished second at the Cheltenham festival last year. Anthony Honeyball’s six-year-old got off the mark over hurdles at Plumpton but was then surprisingly beaten by 66-1 chance Seeyouatmidnight at Hexham. Connections must have been scratching their heads after that but the run was clearly better than they first thought.

Seeyouatmidnight has since won two races, the most recent being the Grade 2 Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock. The gelding’s victims included Celestial Halo, runner-up in the World Hurdle last season. There is a world of difference between a two-mile novice at Hexham and a three-mile Grade 2 event but Regal Encore would appear to be leniently treated on 130 with Seeyouatmidnight now on 155.

Not surprisingly, the bookmakers have put Regal Encore in at around 3-1 favourite and he could be shorter if the field cuts up. Other Cheltenham hopefuls include Lac Fontana and New Year’s Eve. You could not help but be impressed with Lac Fontana at Cheltenham last time as he eased clear of Totalise in heavy ground. I have no idea what happened on his previous start when he was fourth and last behind The Liquidator. The handicapper has shoved him up 12lbs though and that could stop him here.

Swing Bowler ran a really nice race in the Betfair Hurdle after a lengthy absence to be fifth. That looked about the best two-mile handicap run this season and she also has Cheltenham entries. New Year’s Eve is the unknown quantity here as he suffered his only defeat when well backed at Musselburgh, appropriately enough on New Year’s Day! Like Lac Fontana, I cannot explain what happened that day but he has won his subsequent two starts in a hood.

If the headgear has made the difference, he still has chances with just a 7lb penalty. However, the one to be on could be Vibrato Valtat. The grey absolutely laughed at his rivals at Exeter last month and must have had a stone in hand of runner-up Tigris. That horse fell at the weekend so we can only guess at the value of the form but he is fit and fancied.

Vibrato Valtat 13-2 Betfred, Totesport

Racing Preview Saturday 7th December

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It’s a busy weekend for both flat and National Hunt fans with Aintree and Sandown followed by the big meeting in Hong Kong. Our midweek bets on the big races have all stood their ground so let’s hope we can follow up our 20-1 Hennessy Gold Cup success!

There are plenty of interesting supporting races, not least the Listed Chase at Aintree at 2.40. According to the Racing Post, Channel 4 are not televising this race. This is slightly baffling, given the good quality of the field and the fact that the Tingle Creek does not start until 20 minutes later!

I am presuming that the powers-that-be had prepared a stack of musical interludes with slow-mo pictures of Sprinter Sacre. One day they will realise that racing fans want more live action and less waffle!

Returning to the race in question, I am going to side with the five-year-old Unioniste. Paul Nicholls has admitted that a lot of his runners are in need of a run this season and the grey was a typical example at Wetherby. He just didn’t quite get home behind Harry Topper and can reverse the form with the runner-up Wayward Prince.

Katenko fell too early in the Hennessy to say whether he would have been involved at the business end whilst The Giant Bolster seems to reserve his best for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Unioniste is tough and consistent and looks great value at 9-2.

I am a big fan of Nicky Henderson’s dual-purpose performer Lieutenant Miller and I’ll be supporting him in the 1.00 at Aintree tomorrow. He ran his heart out at Royal Ascot, Goodwood and in the Cesarewitch on the flat this year and deserves to pick up a decent hurdling prize. He is still on a very attractive handicap mark over hurdles and he should be able to exploit it.

There seems to be a National named after every part of Britain these days and tomorrow it is the London version. I’m going for Bradley in this one after his fine third at Cheltenham last time out. I thought Godsmejudge ran well too but I can’t support him with 11st 12lb on his back.

Bradley caught my eye last year when just run out of it by the mud-loving Monbeg Dude at Cheltenham. He is yet to land the big prize that he deserves but tomorrow could be his day.

Lieutenant Miller 4-1 Bet365

Unioniste 9-2 William Hill

Bradley 8-1 Bet365

Tingle Creek Chase Preview

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The Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase was meant to be the starting point for Sprinter Sacre this season but he has been ruled out after tests suggested that he was less than 100%. Obviously nobody wants to see Nicky Henderson take any chances with the highest rated chaser in training but it is disappointing for the Sandown crowd.

Henderson has diverted Captain Conan to take his place and he is no mean deputy. He was only beaten once last season as a novice and that was at the Cheltenham Festival in March. I had not rated him particularly prior to that run but I thought he stuck on gamely at Prestbury Park and he got his just reward by winning at Aintree subsequently.

I seem to remember jockey Barry Geraghty emphatically saying that Captain Conan was a two and a half mile horse so this is going to be interesting. If he proves good enough to win here, it will be difficult to find any opposition to Sprinter Sacre come March.

My idea of the winner on Saturday is Sire De Grugy. I first put him in my notebook after he ran a cracker in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury won by Zarkandar. He lugged some big weights over hurdles and was always going to make a smart chaser. He was not quite right early last season but showed his true ability when beating former two-mile champion Finian’s Rainbow at Sandown in the Celebration Chase.

I fully expected him to follow up at Cheltenham last time but he was caught by Kid Cassidy up the final hill. His jumping can be a little worrying at times and he took off a little early on a couple of occasions there. I’m convinced that he is a horse that is always going to be better on the so-called park courses and he looks a cracking bet at 9-4 with Bet365.

I have plenty of respect for Somersby who seems to have been around forever but is actually only nine years old. He is now trained by Mick Channon and won the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter when holding off Module in a driving finish.

Cue Card finished third that day but it would be foolish to take that form literally. Clearly Cue Card was a lot fitter when he contested the Betfair Chase and galloped his way into the Gold Cup picture.

Sire De Grugy 9-4 Bet365