2025 Sandown & Navan Saturday Tips

It was a disappointing day for us on Easter Monday. Eagle Fang was the only horse we backed that ran with any credit, but he didn’t land the e/w money. This weekend all the talk is about the Skelton v Mullins battle for the UK trainers’ title and thankfully, it will all be settled on Saturday. Dave Stevos is going to focus on Sandown and a couple of cracking races at Navan, check out his 2025 Sandown & Navan Saturday tips below.

1.50 Sandown – Josh Gifford Novices’ Handicap Chase (Class 2)

Now that he is stepping up to 2m4f for the first time over fences, Inedit Star is interesting here at odds of 14/1. Trained by Nick Kent, this horse won two bumpers and a hurdle on testing ground when trained by Noel George in France. He has yet to get on the scoresheet for this yard but his latest run at Aintree suggested his turn might be near.

In that 2m Grade 3 handicap the grey son of Lord Du Sud was bang there at the third last. He then got outpaced between the final two fences before running on well to get back up for third, just behind Calico in second and a neck ahead of Gunsight Ridge in fourth.

Although his three wins in France came on bad ground, he has run very well on all three of his starts on good to soft, including in that latest race. Now, he did burst on soft ground here on his penultimate start, so there are risks attached, but with odds of 14/1 available, he is worth taking a chance on e/w.

2025 Sandown & Navan Saturday Tip: Inedit Star e/w @ 14/1

2.25 Sandown – Oaksey Chase (Grade 2)

Eight runners in this Grade 2 and four of them trained by Wille Mullins. What a snoozefest. If Gaelic Warrior reproduces his Aintree performance dropped back in trip, he’ll be hard to beat but that is far from guaranteed. Maybe he has turned the corner but he has been beaten at short odds more times than he has won and he is far from bulletproof.

One horse that may represent a bit of e/w value is Appreciate It. The elder lemon in the field at 11yo, he hosed up on his last start on good ground at just short of this trip in a Thurles Grade 2 in January. Brought down at the twenty first fence in the Grand National on his first start since three weeks ago, he is a relatively fresh horse and he should enjoy the conditions here.

In fifteen chase starts he has finished in the first two six times, with three wins. He knows how to win and he hasn’t had that many chances at this sort of trip on good ground. We are probably playing for places with this lad but given the fact that he has made the trip over and Mullins will want to plunder as much prize money as possible, odds of 20/1 about a horse of his calibre that will almost definitely be trying are too big to resist.

2025 Sandown & Navan Saturday Tip: Appreciate It e/w @ 20/1 NB

3.55 Navan – Salsabil Stakes (Group 3)

The ground is currently yielding at Navan but with rain forecast, it will surely be closer to soft on Saturday. If it does turn soft, a couple of the market leaders will be tackling that sort of ground for the first time. Island Hopping and Wemightakedlongway have run well on soft before so they could come into the reckoning but it might be worth chancing the sole 1m2f soft ground winner in the field, the Gavin Cromwell trained filly, J M’s Joy.

By Elzaam, this filly has run well in all three of her maiden runs on soft-heavy. She finally got off the mark at the ninth time of asking in a 1m2f Curragh maiden last month, making all and finding plenty in the closing stages to beat a 70 rated rival by 1.5L.

Now, it must be said, that form won’t be good enough in this company but, unlike most of her rivals, she is proven at 1m2f and on soft ground and she could yet rate higher than her current mark of 87. Connections will be very keen to get some black type so she should definitely be there to do her best and with odds of 40/1 on offer, a small e/w interest on J M’s Joy is advised.

2025 Sandown & Navan Saturday Tip: J M’S Joy e/w @ 40/1

4.10 – Bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier)

Normally it would be great to see twenty runners in this lucrative chase but not when ten of them are trained by Willie Mullins. Can any of the home team stop the Closutton juggernaut from following up Minella Cocooner’s win in the race last year? The short answer is, probably not.

However, I am going to take on the Mullins’ battalion with the progressive seven year old King’s Threshold. Trained by Emma Lavelle, this horse has gone up a cumulative total of 15lbs for wins at Huntingdon, Warwick and Newbury. His winning run started off 119, he is now rated 134 after a facile win at Newbury off 127 and he now races off 142 due to being out of the handicap but I feel there could still be moe to come from him.

I loved how he travelled throughout that race and when Ben Jones pushed the button after jumping the last, he scooted clear. He’s by Yeats, a huge stamina influence, and he is related to two 4m winners (Captain Cattistock & Bretney) so the step up in trip here should pose no problems. If he were trained by Willie Mullins, he’d probably be half the odds he is now so at 22/1, King’s Threshold is the each way selection.

2025 Sandown & Navan Saturday Tip: King’s Threshold e/w @ 22/1 (5 places) NAP

-DaveStevos