2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday Tips – DS
2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday Preview
It is Scottish Cheltenham Trials weekend at Musselburgh and we also have Grade 1 action from Sandown and a Grade 2 from Wetherby. With top notch action at Leopardstown too, there is no shortage of action for punters to get stuck into over the next couple of days. Our racing analyst Dave Stevos will be covering all the big races, check out his 2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday preview below.
1.45 Sandown – Dolos Handicap Chase (Class 2)
The first two live races from Musselburgh and Sandown are small field class 3s. Neither makes any appeal from a betting perspective, though if Bear Ghylls is at his best he’ll be hard to beat off a mark of 138 in the handicap chase at Musselburgh. This class 2 handicap chase has attracted a field of 8 runners and now that he is back down to his last winning mark, maybe Kiltealy Briggs can bounce back from a below par effort at Wincanton last time out.
Trained by Jamie Snowden, Adrian Heskin rides and the ground should be ideal for the son of Fame And Glory at Sandown. He takes a big drop in trip but he did manage to finish 2nd on both previous tries over this distance, including in a class 2 conditions at Carlisle, a right handed, testing track. I think it is fair to say that this horse doesn’t stay further than 21f so if he does run well back over this trip, it could open up more options for him in the Spring.
This is a decent looking race and he could face competition for the lead. If they do go quick from the outset, his proven stamina might just come to the fore. On the other hand, he might just lack the pace for this distance but at the prices, it is worth taking a chance. At 20/1, Kiltealy Briggs is the e/w pick. Keep stakes small because this is a very tricky race.
2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday Tips: Kiltealy Briggs e/w @ 20/1
2.03 Musselburgh – Edinburgh National Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Regina Dracones is a horse we have backed more than once already this season. Unfortunately, the weight of our money has proved too heavy a burden for Tom Gibney’s mare and I’m going to pass her over this time. However, if she produces what she is capable of she is more than talented enough to win this race off a mark of 128.
The last time Sandy Thomson had a runner in this race in 2018, he won it. He has three contenders this time and you could make a case for all of them. Flower of Scotland is in the same ownership as his 2018 winner and she put in a seriously impressive round of jumping when winning at Kelso in December. However, she does seem best on softer ground than she’ll get today. Doyen Breed has questions to answer after a couple of poor outings and he is best watched and while The Ferry Master is interesting enough at a price, I’m not sure he quite gets this far.
Lad Can Go Well
We backed Innisfree Lad over the Xmas period at Market Rasen. Unfortunately, he was kept wide by Theo Gillard and in hindsight, I’m not sure he tried too hard. The handicapper has dropped him another pound to 127 for that effort, the same mark he won by 10L off at Plumpton just over a year ago (25.5f gd/sft). The son of Yeats has never won over as far as this trip but his run in the Eider last season showed he could be competitive at these marathon distances.
Brian Hughes now takes over in the plate and he has won on Innisfree Lad before. He has had 112 rides for David Dennis, returning 13 wins and 49 Top 4 finishes. This horse likes flat tracks, he has won twice going right handed and he loves nice ground. This is usually the time of year that he begins to hit top form and at odds of 18/1, hopefully he runs a massive race.
2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday Tips: Innisfree Lad e/w @ 18/1 (4 places) NB
2.20 Sandown – Scilly Isles Novice Chase Grade 1)
The sole Grade 1 of the day but not a betting race. Gerri Colombe is the 5/4 favourite but this will be his first time on ground with good in the description. His two chase wins have come on much softer ground so it will be very interesting to see how he fares.
Monmiral is consistent but he has been very expensive to follow the past two seasons. Balco Coastal looked good in a handicap last time but this represents a much tougher test. Thunder Rock could be the one to be on given the form of Olly Murphy in recent days but he’s only 9/2. I’m happy to leave this race alone, no bet.
2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday Tips: No bet
2.30 Wetherby – Towton Novices’ Chase (Grade 2)
Just four runners and again, this makes no appeal from a betting perspective. Ballygriffin Cottage is odds on and he is well treated by the conditions of the race. City Chief steps into Grade 2 company for the first time after a handicap win at Hereford on soft. O’Toole has G1 bumper form in the book and he too won a handicap last time. Whether this ground will suit is the question for him today. Bellatrixsa has a nice low weight but she’ll need a career best and she flopped on her comeback. No bet.
Wetherby Saturday Tip: No Bet
2.55 Sandown – Pertemps Qualifier Handicap Hurdle (Premier)
Finally, a decent sized field to get stuck into. This Pertemps Qualifier has attracted 15 runners and the first four home qualify for the final at Cheltenham. As ever in these races, horses on marks high enough to get a run will be aiming to finish in the places whereas horses on lower marks will be looking to win and get a hike in the weights. In 2022 the lowest rating to sneak in was 134 but to be sure of a run, you’d probably need to be going there rated 136 or higher.
With a rating of 126, Bells Of Peterboro could definitely do with going up in the weights. Tim Vaughan’s ultra-consistent 8yo very rarely runs a bad race and this season his form figures read 2232. His rating has risen from 120 to 126 but after he won by 20+ lengths off 120 at Chepstow in December 2021, Vaughan said that he hoped he had a Pertemps horse on his hands. He managed to qualify last year but unfortunately, his rating was too low to get a run.
This will be his first chance to qualify this year so surely, he’ll be there to do his best. He has yet to race at Sandown but he has won on testing tracks in the past and he has also won going right handed. His trainer has a good course record (5/57 with 22 Top 4s) and good to soft ground is absolutely fine. All things considered, 16/1 looks a pretty big price and at those odds, Bells Of Peterboro is worth backing e/w.
2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday Tips: Bells Of Peterboro e/w @ 16/1 (4 places)
3.16 Musselburgh – Scottish County Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
Both of Ruth Jefferson’s most recent runners finished 2nd and she runs Inca Prince in this valuable handicap hurdle. The 5yo son of Fast Company is chalked up at 20/1, presumably because of his dire run on his seasonal comeback at Market Rasen back in September. He clearly wasn’t right that day and Jefferson has freshened him up since.
This horse is a bit of a hard puller and sometimes, that counts against him. However, he seems to love the fast, flat track at Musselburgh where his form figures read 151, including a valuable handicap hurdle off 119. Jamie Hamilton has ridden for his three UK wins but he is riding for Mark Walford at Wetherby so Sean Quinlan comes in for the ride. He has yet to ride a winner for Ruth Jefferson but he’s finished in the first four in six of ten rides for her.
Inca Prince is in off 124 today, just 5lbs higher than he was when winning by 6.5L over 17f here in March of last year. Drying ground is ideal and this race has surely been on Jefferson’s radar for some time. If Sean Quinlan can get his mount to race more evenly and he can poach a soft lead, Inca Prince could make a bold bid from the front. At odds of 20/1, a small e/w interest is advised.
2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday Tips: Inca Prince e/w @ 20/1
3.30 Sandown – Handicap Chase (Class 2)
It was desperately frustrating when Kauto Riko unseated in the Veterans’ Race here last time out. Tom Gretton’s charge had jumped well and travelled nicely before a blunder threw Robbie Dunne out the side door. I was sure he was going to sneak into the race but it wasn’t to be. If the ground was softer today, I’d bet him again but he hasn’t won on ground with good in the description since landing a handicap hurdle off 98 back in 2016. My laptop will be chucked out the window if he goes and wins but the percentage call is to leave him alone today.
The Moores have been in top form recently, landing a couple of big gambles at Lingfield. Their horses are obviously in good form and they run two here. Movethecoins is the mount of Niall Houlihan and he takes 3lbs off. He was a hugely progressive sort last term at Lingfield but he came up short on his seasonal return in the Welsh National off 128. Even with his jockey’s claim he is 7lbs higher than his last winning mark so I am instead going to take a chance on his stablemate, Larry.
He is the mount of stable jockey Jamie Moore, who would have had first dibs. He last rode this fella at Ascot on his seasonal return and he hacked up off 132. Last time at Kempton the ground was probably a bit too testing and he only finished 6th under Caoilin Quinn. The assessor dropped him back to 136 after that run, so he is 3lbs lower than when winning a Class 2 Novice Handicap here over 20f back in 2019. Larry is 2/4 at Sandown, hopefully he can make it 3/5 today at odds of 16/1.
2023 Musselburgh and Sandown Saturday Tips: Larry e/w @ 16/1 (4 places) NAP
