Excellent card at Sandown

An excellent card at Sandown today, despite generally small fields. The exception is the handicap hurdle over 2 3/4 miles at 16.10 CET, which has 15 runners and looks wide open. Ballydub (Philip Hobbs/ Richard Johnson) is one of the favourites after falling when well in contention last time out at Cheltenham, where Blue Shark (Nicky Henderson/ Barry Geraghty) was also close up at the time. Group Captain (High Collingridge/ Richard Killoran) was runner-up at Ascot last time and deserves to win one of these big handicaps, but basically almost any of them can win. The card opens with a 4yo novice hurdle at 14.30, in which we hope German-bred Amore Mio (Emma Lavelle/ Tom Siddall) can get the better of Nicky Henderson´s impressive last-time-out winner Optimus Maximus (Barry Geraghty).

The following two races are the best events on the card, and the listed hurdle race at 15.05 will have a definite bearing on the Champion Hurdle with Afsoun (Henderson/ Geraghty) and Osana (David Pipe/ Paddy Brennan) -both already placed at Cheltenham- opposed by Celestial Halo (Paul Nicholls/ Ruby Walsh), currently second favourite for this year´s edition. The race should be run to suit Celestial Halo and he is narrowly our selection. The Scilly Isles Novice Chase (Grade One) over 2 1/2 miles at 15.35 has a small but select field; Araldur (Alan King/ Robert Thornton) is tremendously improved and has won 4 of his last 5 races, he also receives weight all round as the only 5yo. But Here Comes the Truth (Nicholls/ Walsh) and Massinis Maguire (Hobbs/ Johnson) are very toiugh opponents. Tony McCoy, still needing 2 winners to reach a career total of 3,000, only rides in the last 2 races; his mounts Eric´s Charm for Oliver Sherwood in the 3 mile handicap chase at 16.45 and last-tim e-out winner Good Company for Jonjo O´Neill at 17.20 both have chances - especially the latter - but it still seems likely that he will have to wait for another day.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Optimus Maximus - Amore Mio - Purely By Chance
2. Race: Celestial Halo - Afsoun - Osana
3. Race: Herecomesthetruth - Will Be Done - Massini`S Maguire
4. Race: Blue Shark - Ballydub - Cruchain
5. Race: Can`T Buy Time - Sound Accord - Monkerhostin
6. Race: Lorient Express - Good Company - I Hear A Symphony