Sandown Thursday Racing Tips by Dave Stevos
Sandown Thursday Racing Tips
It was another decent day for us last Sunday at the Curragh. Earlswood, advised NB at 8/1, was well backed and he won quite easily. I picked the wrong one in the Gold Cup in Sunchart. Helvic Dream won under a great ride from Colin Keane and he is a nice horse on soft ground. Annexation ran poorly and I was gutted that Fantasy Lady just missed out on place money in 5th. Our e/w NAP Miss Myers at least ensured we finished on a high note, landing place money in 5th at 25/1. Tonight Sandown is the venue for three pattern races, including the Brigadier Gerard Stakes. Check out Dave Stevos’ Sandown Thursday Racing Tips below.
5.45 – 10F Handicap (Class 5)
The interesting one at a price in this class 5 contest is Born To Please. Trained by Mark Usher, this 7yo daughter of Stimulation will have zero issues on the testing ground at Sandown. She has won five races under rules and on each occasion, there was cut in the ground. Her last win came off 53 at Nottingham in October (10f sft). She has also won at Sandown over a mile, back in 2017 off 48.
In fact, Sandown is a track this mare really acts on. She has had a total of five starts here, one of which was over hurdles. Her course form figures read 51333. That last 3rd came only a week ago over 9f here off 58. She was admittedly beat 9L by the impressive winner but she was only 1L off 2nd and it was a decent run. With Isobel Francis claiming 7lb she is effectively in off 51 here and she has 9 wins and 20 top 4 finishes when riding for Usher. At odds of 25/1, Born To Please is the e/w pick.
Sandown Thursday Racing Tips: Born To Please e/w @ 25/1 NAP (4 places)
6.15 – National Stakes (Listed)
The first pattern race of the day is the Listed National Stakes for the 2yos. Eight are due to go to post and it might come down to who can handle the testing conditions best. The top two in the betting, Chipotle and Navello have won five races between them already. However, crucially, neither horse has yet encountered ground any worse than good to soft. Navello won the Lily Agnes on good to soft at Chester last time and he probably has a better chance of handling today’s ground than Chipotle.
At an each way price, Bond Chairman could go well. Bryan Smart and Graham Lee team up with this son of Kodiac. I liked his performance when winning on debut at Musselburgh (5f gd). He travelled well through the race up until a furlong out when it looked like he might be swamped. However, Lee just showed him the whip and gave him a gentle tap before pushing him out for what turned out to be a rather cosy win.
The question is, will this fella handle the ground? Well, he is related to four winners and two of those handled testing conditions. There is no guarantee that he will handle it. However, the same can be said for the two market leaders and this fella is a much bigger price. Given that the ground is unknown, I won’t be having the mortgage on but at odds of 11/1, a small each way bet on Bond Chairman is advised.
Sandown Thursday Racing Tips: Bond Chairman e/w @ 11/1
6.50 – Henry II Stakes (Group 3)
A disappointingly small field of just five will line up in the stalls for this 16f Group 3. On this ground the trip will take a fair bit of getting and Ocean Wind is odds on for Roger Teal and Jack Mitchell. This progressive 5yo son of Teofilo has run crackers on all three starts this term. Last time out he produced a career best at Ascot (16f gd/fm) when beat just 1L by the mighty Stradivarius. He is closely matched with Nayef Road on that form and both horses have run well on soft ground before. If I had to back one of them, Nayef Road would probably be the pick, simply because of his odds.
Ranch Hand has a bit to find with the top two on the figures. He is rated 106, 7lb inferior to Nayef Road and 6lb inferior to Ocean Wind. He has won on soft but arguably, he would prefer nicer ground than he gets today. At a bigger price, Lismore could be the one most likely to cause an upset. Trained by Henry De Bromhead, Jamie Spencer rides. This 100 rated daughter of Zoffany gets a handy 4lb allowance from the boys.
Soft Ground Fine
She handles soft, as evidenced by her super effort over 20f in a Listed heat in Germany when trained by Mark Prescott. She moved yards after being picked up at the sales for 60k and she disappointed on her return to action at Cork (12f yld). However, it was much better last time at Gowran (14f yld) when she finished 2nd behind Mighty Blue in a Listed contest.
She had the 101 rated Yaxeni and the 109 rated Princess Zoe behind her. The way she stayed on that day suggested that the step back up to today’s distance will suit. She has already proven her stamina over further and at odds of 14/1, she is the each way selection.
Sandown Thursday Racing Tips: Lismore e/w @ 14/1 NB
7.25 – Brigadier Gerard Stakes (Group 3)
Workforce, Mukhadram, Time Test, Regal Reality and Lord North are just some of the recent winners of Sandown’s feature race tonight, the Brigadier Gerard. As is usually the case, it is a small field and it is hard to see past the market leaders. Sangarius and Extra Elusive are both well clear on figures with official ratings of 114 and 113 respectively. They have both won on soft ground and this is their optimum trip.
Fox Tal had a poor season last year but he at least showed some of his old spark at Chester last time. Oriental Mystique has plenty of ability but she would probably prefer nicer ground. Euchen Glen will be fine on the ground but I think today’s 10f trip might be on the sharp side for him nowadays. I can’t see any real value in this race so I am happy to sit it out. No bet.
Sandown Thursday Racing Tips: No Bet
8.00 – Whitsun Cup Handicap (Class 3)
The final race I’ll be previewing this evening is the 8f Whitsun Cup Handicap. The one I am interested in at a big price here is Imperial Command for Mark Loughnane and Dougie Costello. This 4yo son of War Command has proved to be a shrewd purchase for just 12k. Since moving to his new yard he has won three of his five starts, all on the all-weather at Newcastle (7f/8f). His last win there came off 84 back in March and he was given a couple of months off after that run, presumably to freshen him up for a turf campaign.
He made his return over 10f at Newcastle and while he finished 9th of 11, he was only beat 2.75L for the win. When trained by Jonjo O’Neill he won on soft ground at Haydock and his overall form figures on that type of ground read 143. I think his run last time proved he could be competitive off his current rating of 88 and Dougie Costello is back on board. A few of his rivals have questions to answer on this ground so at odds of 25/1, Imperial Command is worth chancing each way.
