2024 Sandown Saturday Preview and Tips – DS
2024 Sandown Saturday Preview & Tips
I wasn’t very hopeful for Friday’s fancies but we came out with a winner. Bretney made all under a great Sam Twiston Davies ride to score at 12/1. Prince Rasam pulled like a dog early, Jason The Militant looks gone at the game and Dark Vintage is one for the tracker. The jumps season comes to a close tomorrow, check out Dave Stevos’ 2024 Sandown Saturday preview and tips below.
1.50 Sandown – Novices’ Final Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
A huge field for the opening race of the day. Twenty novices will go to post for this Novices’ Championship Final and, fingers crossed, the ground is going to be good. Alan King has never won this race but three of his four previous runners have finished in the first four. He relies on Helnwein here and I’m hoping he can sneak into the money at odds of 25/1.
By Walk In The Park, this 6yo has raced exclusively on soft ground this season. A maiden win at Warwick was followed by a fine effort in a Listed hurdle over this C&D on heavy. He was beat 1.75L by Booster Bob, who has disappointed since, but the third home was placed in a handicap off 116 at Perth this week.
Last time out Helnwein ran a nice race in a Taunton Novice (16f sft) which qualified him for this. He has 5L to find with Secret Squirrel, who re-opposes here (8/1) and he is 5lbs better off with that rival. The question is whether this ground will suit and on breeding, it should. His full brother, Uncle Phil, is a four time winner on good ground and his dam did all her winning on good ground too. Helnwein could improve plenty on this surface so at 25/1, he is the e/w selection.
2024 Sandown Saturday Tip: Helnwein e/w @ 25/1 (5 Places) NB
2.05 Leicester – King Richard III Cup Handicap (Class 2)
The ground is soft at Leicester and the one I’ll take a punt on at 22/1 is Big Bear Hug. Trained by Adam West, who is no stranger to producing big priced winners, this daughter of Belardo enjoys getting her toe in. It was heavy when she won at Newmarket last November off 63 and it was soft when she won here over C&D off 62 a year ago.
This year, she has been in fine form. Three runs have returned form figures of 233, all at 10f. The drop back to a mile should be in this mare’s favour and she’ll be ridden by a 7lb claimer, Alice Bond. She finished 2nd on her at Doncaster last month and her claim means that Big Bear Hug is effectively just 4lbs wrong at the weights.
This is the best race this mare has run in to date and if the likes of Raadobarg and Al Mubhir produce their best, she’ll probably struggle to win. However, she should definitely be trying, she’s a C&D winner and she’ll like the ground. Hopefully she can sneak into the first three at odds of 22/1.
2024 Leicester Saturday Tip: Big Bear Hug e/w @ 22/1
2.25 Sandown – Oaksey Chase (Grade 2)
A tricky contest. The Real Whacker is the 3/1 fav but I can’t have him on this ground. Hitman is next best in the betting and he looks short enough too at 3/1. Easy Game represents Willie Mullins and he will appreciate going right handed. If I was going to back any of the market leaders, it would probably be him. However, I don’t fancy anything at bigger odds so this is going to be a no bet race.
2024 Sandown Saturday Tip: No bet
2.45 Haydock – Trustatrader Handicap (Class 2)
Boardman is a former C&D winner but that was on better ground than this. He’s also tended to need his seasonal reappearances in the past. Look Back Smiling would love this ground but he’s also entered in the big handicap at Leicester. The only one I can make a case for at a half decent price is Zip.
He’s fit from an all weather campaign and he has had a run on the turf. That came at Donny last month (6f sft) and it was a fine effort to finish fourth behind Knebworth off 88. The assessor has dropped him to 87, the same mark he last won off at Doncaster back in October (7f hvy).
Zip has also won over this C&D in the past, a soft ground handicap off 73. He’s a bit of a regular at Haydock and he likes the place (form figures of 522971236). 3lb claimer Tyler Heard finished second on his only previous ride on this 8yo, hopefully he can do the same again (or even go one better) at odds of 12/1.
2024 haydock Saturday Tip: Zip e/w @ 12/1
3.00 Sandown – Celebration Chase (Grade 1)
Annoyingly, only seven run here. The big question is whether El Fabiolo’s jumping will hold up. It didn’t at Cheltenham in the best race he has run in to date and with Editeur Du Gite and Edwardstone likely to force a strong gallop, it will be put to the test again.
If he jumps well, El Fabiolo should win but the way this race is going to be run should suit Jonbon. Edwardstone goes well here and he should be ok on the nice ground but Jonbon had his measure when they met here back in November.
The only one of interest at a massive price is Elixir Du Nutz. He’s been written off after a poor run on soft at Cheltenham but on his penultimate start, he beat Jonbon on good to soft by a neck. His last four runs on good to soft have produced form figures of 1131 and he won a Grade 1 novice hurdle on his only previous run at Sandown.
He’ll probably need at least one of the market leaders to misfire to figure, at odds of 50/1 it is worth taking a chance that happens.
2024 Sandown saturday Tip: Elixir Du Nutz e/w @ 50/1
3.35 Sandown – bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier)
We are already on Kinondo Kwetu e/w for this at 20/1 (read why here). He’s now a best price of 14s and I am more than happy to stick with him. If he puts in a solid round of jumping and the rain stays away, he should be bang there at the business end.
