2024 Sandown Imperial Cup Meeting Tips

We had a superb day last Saturday at Kelso and Donny. Foster’sisland almost got us off to a good start but just missed place money in fourth. Gustavian ran another good race on heavy and landed the e/w money in third at 12/1. Our 16/1 NAP Cracking Rhapsody hosed up in the Morebattle then Pinot Rouge stayed on dourly to win at 25s. Our 25/1 NB Bertie’s Ballet was almost brought down but he still managed to nick fourth. Let’s hope for more of the same on Saturday, Dave Stevos’ 2024 Sandown Imperial Cup meeting tips are below.

1.50 Sandown – EBF NH Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final (Premier)

The ground had changed from heavy to soft, heavy in places on the hurdles course at Sandown through Thursday into Friday. Today is to remain dry but there’s a couple of showers forecast before racing on Saturday. The chase course is soft, good to soft in places so to be honest, it is a bit of a guessing game as to what the conditions will be.

The home straight looks predominantly soft, while the back straight is good to soft and soft in places. I’m going to guess that there’ll be no heavy in the description for this opener but it’ll still be pretty taxing on what will be soft but drying ground.

The owners of Bertie’s Ballet will be gutted they didn’t give him an entry in this. They won it with Sam’s Gunner in 2018 and Bertie would have snuck in this year off his current mark. The handicapper did give him 4lbs for that last Kelso run, raising him to 120, but he’ll still be worth keeping a very close eye on in handicaps.

Well Treated

One in here that could be pretty well treated on his handicap bow off 117 is Taras Halls. Trained by the shrewd Sue Smith, this son of Yeats bumped into a couple of Ben Pauling horses on his last two starts. At Newcastle (20f sft) he chased home Handstands, finishing 7L behind the Baring Bingham bound winner.

Last time he was 6.5L behind Champagne Twist at Donny (19.5f gd) and he is 7lbs better off with that rival, who reopposes here. Henry Brooke had his mount buried in midfield as the race began to take shape and I really liked how he knuckled down after the last to get up for second.

Taras Halls has run well on soft to heavy, good to soft and good ground so whatever the conditions are on Saturday, he should be fine. Henry Brooke gets the leg up again and this time, I’d imagine he’ll have his mount in a better position when the race hots up.

Champagne Twist, 12/1 here, had the run of the race last time and I can definitely see Taras Hall getting much closer to him today. I think he has the potential to rate a fair bit higher than his current mark so at odds of 14/1, back Sue Smith’s charge e/w.

2024 Sandown Imperial Cup Meeting Tip: Taras Halls e/w @ 14/1 (5 places) NAP

2.25 Sandown – Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)

At the grand old age of 9 years old it might be too big an ask for Lively Citizen to win this race. However, he was a fine second in this off 121 in 2022 and there is every possibility he could run into a place again off an 8lbs lower mark.

Trained by DJ Jeffreys, this talented but sometimes frustrating horse comes into this race in good form. He looked like he had the race in the bag when falling at the second last on his penultimate start at Musselburgh off 108 in January. Then last time, back at the same track, he ran lovely race off 112 to finish second behind Bashful who was running off 93. The winner followed up off 5lbs higher next time and is now rated 105.

This son of Frammassone goes on most ground but ideally, he likes a bit of cut. He’ll get that today and with Harry Atkins taking off 7lbs, he’ll be carrying a feather weight of just 9st 9lbs. His two previous visits to Sandown saw him finish 2nd and 4th, hopefully he can do the same again today at odds of 40/1.

2024 Sandown Imperial Cup Meeting Tip: Lively Citizen e/w @ 40/1 (5 places)

2.40 Wolverhampton – Lady Wulfruna Stakes (Listed)

With form figures of 111134 at Wolverhampton, surely Misty Grey has to be worth an e/w interest here. Formerly trained by Tom Dascombe, this 7yo gelding looks to have a bit to find with a couple of the higher rated ones. However, Shouldvebeenaring lacks a recent run and Mums Tipple, the 2021 winner, has been out of form on his last four runs.

Misty Grey returned from a couple of months off with an excellent effort in a decent handicap at Newcastle last week. Beat 1.75L off 96 despite being a shade keen, it was an encouraging start for his new trainer David O’Meara.

He was only beat a length in this in 2022 so we know he can be competitive at Listed level and the son of Dark Angel loves this track. He is nicely drawn for a prominent racer in stall 2 and Danny Tudhope should have learned plenty after riding him for the first time at Newcastle. He’ll probably need one or two of these to misfire but that is more than possible so at 25/1, back Misty Grey e/w.  

2024 Sandown Imperial Cup Meeting Tip: Misty Grey e/w @ 25/1 NB

3.00 Sandown – EBF Mares’ NH Flat Race (Listed)

I have absolutely zero interest in betting on bumpers. No bet.

2024 Sandown Imperial Cup Meeting Tip: No Bet

3.15 Wolverhampton – Lincoln Trial Handicap (Class 2)

The Lincoln is just a couple of weeks away now and we’ll be having a go at the Spring Double again. That’ll be posted after Cheltenham. This race may be officially named as a trial for the big race but in truth, it would be a shock if any of these went on to win the Lincoln. Since 2004 no horse has won both this trial and the main event so it makes more sense to view this as a target in its own right.

The one I have landed on at odds of 14/1 is the Charlie Johnston trained Benacre. He ran well first time up last season before his form tailed off badly at the backend. On his last start at Ascot six months ago he was beat 100L over 12f but he clearly couldn’t have been right and since then, he has been gelded.

Loughnane Booked

The 4yo son of Australia will have the assistance of Billy Loughnane in the saddle. He rode a winner for this yard earlier this week and his stats for Johnston are solid (3/9 with 2x top 4s). Benacre’s trainer is in form too, sending out five winners from his last 21 runners. I’d imagine Loughnane will be aiming to break well from stall 5, get across to the rail and try to make all.

Benacre will run off 92 today, 3lbs lower than when beat 2.5L off 95 on his last all weather start at Chelmsford. As I mentioned earlier, he has gone well fresh in the past and while he does stay further than a mile, his three wins have come at 7f. If he is fit and ready to rock and roll, hopefully he’ll make a bold bid at odds of 14/1.

2024 Sandown Imperial Cup Meeting Tip: Benacre e/w @ 14/1 (4 places)

3.35 Sandown – Novices’ Handicap Chase (Premier)

Just eight will go to post for this valuable handicap chase for the novices. It has not been a good race for outsiders in previous years with no winner bigger than 15/2 since the inaugural running in 2017. This year, Golden Son is favourite and he is hard to get away from. He’s only 3lbs higher than when beating Heltenham two weeks ago and that form was franked in no uncertain terms at Newbury last week.

Kotmask is on a hat trick after winning off 127 last time at Plumpton (19.5f sft). He had previously scored here over 16f off 120 but he didn’t have much to spare at Plumpton under a 3lb claimer and he could be vulnerable off effectively 8lbs higher.

Dr T J Eckleburg is the most interesting outsider but I am not sure he’ll stay 20f. He did run on strongly over 16f at Chepstow last time but whenever he has run beyond 16f, he has looked a weak finisher at times. The percentage call is to leave him, and the race, alone. No bet.

2024 Sandown Imperial Cup Meeting Tip: No Bet

-DaveStevos