Sandown Saturday Preview - 24/04/21

The first race of the day is the Novices' Championship Handicap Hurdle over two miles and at the prices Royaume Uni looks a good each way bet.

The Gary Moore trained gelding is only four years of age and could have the most improvement to come in this field and having ran well last time out, his mark of 116 could be exploited.

Having been finding his way on the flat and over hurdles, his latest outing at Ascot when a close second to Herbiers in a Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

Coming into this race off the back of that run and being bottom weight is worth taking chance on him, especially on ground he handles well.

The first big race of the day is the Grade Two Oaksey Chase over 2m 6 1/2f and Frodon should be a class above this field if on song.

Frodon has been a superstar for the 11 time champion trainer Paul Nicholls winning some huge races including the Old Roan Chase at Aintree and the Ryanair Chase at the 2019 Cheltenham festival.

Stepped up to 3m1f in October the gelding landed the competitive Handicap Chase off top weight at Prestbury Park.

He produced a superb round off jumping giving weight away to the whole field, but last time out stepped back up in Class for the Grade two Many Clouds Chase and was well below par.

There were plenty of fences removed that day which did not suit him, but last time out he gave one of the performances of the season when winning the Grade One King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

He went from the front and gave an expert round of jumping and tried to do the same in the Gold Cup but ultimately faded late one behind the Irish contingent.

Back in a small field and slightly down in trip is a huge positive and also having proven form on good ground he looks a solid contender at the top of the market.

The feature race of the day at Sandown is the Grade One Celebration Chase over two miles and we are siding with the three time winner of the race Altior.

Altior has been a horse of a lifetime for Seven Barrows, being a four time Cheltenham festival winner, taking out the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Arkle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase twice.

Having been set to try and land his third consecutive Champion Chase last season he was pulled out of the race due to a setback and only returned at Christmas having almost a year off the track.

One of the biggest shocks of the season came when the superstar was beaten for the second time in his career by 20/1 shot Nube Negra, with the 10 year old struggling from a long way out.

Henderson was quick to defend his horse after the race and got rid of any assumptions that retirement was looming for the star, but it now looks as though the handler had a genuine excuse for his horse not running to his usual level, with the gelding returning a dirty scope.

Since then he has not been seen, missing the Champion Chase with a small setback and should be fresh for this event and if being at his best looks to be a nice price at 5/2, with him finally getting his good ground.

The big fielded Grade Three Handicap Chase over a marathon trip sees some familiar faces head to post and we think it could be another Irish domination job.

The only Irish raider in the field is Plan Of Attack for Henry De Bromhead and with the trainer having a record breaking season, and Rachael Blackmore coming over for the ride, they must think this lad has a big chance.

This season the eight year old has been hit and miss on soft/heavy ground looking to need good ground and he will get that on Saturday.

Having been pulled up on his first two starts of the season, he then went to Leopardstown and finished a better eighth of 22 runners in the three mile Paddy Power Chase.

Last time over 3m2f at the Cheltenham festival in the Kim Muir he was running his best race of the season, when leading the event, but unfortunately falling three out.

The eight year old seems to have been waiting for this better ground all season and heading into off the same mark as his Kim Muir run could make him dangerous.

The final big race of the day is the Grade Two Select Hurdle over 2m 5 1/2f and the mare Indefatigable gets our vote over this extended trip.

The Paul Webber trained mare Indefatigable although being a Cheltenham festival winner looks out of place in this field off what she has done this term.

At the back end of last season she put a string of wins together winning a Listed Hurdle at Warwick and then backing that up in the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at the festival.

After having a tame run on the flat at Lingfield, she kickstarted her season over hurdles at Kempton over three miles where she could only finish third of eight runners in a Listed event.

She stepped back to 2m5f next time out at Kempton again in the Grade Two Relkeel Hurdle and although getting the mares weight allowance was outclassed finishing sixth of seven.

The mare put in a much better performance two starts ago at the Cheltenham festival when fourth of 10 in the Grade One Mares' Hurdle, being dropped in trip.

Last time out back up to three miles she was seventh of 15 in the Ryanair Stayers' Hurdle at Aintree and getting back to this stiffer trip in a weaker field could see her flourish.

The penultimate event of the afternoon is the Josh Gifford Novices' Handicap Chase over 2m4f and Not That Fuisse for the Skelton's.

The eight year old is being turned around quick after his superb run at Ayr last week, finishing a narrow second in the Listed Quarry Handicap Chase over 2m4f, just being beat on the line.

He runs in this race off the same mark and having ran well in the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham festival and in a jumpers bumper, he looks to be the form pick.

The final event of the jumps season at Sandown is the Class 2 Handicap Hurdle over 2m4f and L'Homme Presse for Venetia Williams could just turn out to be a class above of this field.

The six year old raced twice in France in 2019 and this season moved over to Britain and on his debut at Chepstow was an emphatic winner of a Novices' Hurdle.

He went on to beat the 2/7 favourite by close to 28 lengths with the gelding loving the good ground and now being stepped up in trip for his handicap debut he looks an attractive price at 7/1.

Off a mark of 132 and having a decent 7lb claimer on board could see him weighted to strike.