Top N.H. racing at Sandown

Today´s Sandown fixture is officially the last meeting of the British N.H. season, featuring the valuable Bet365 Gold Cup (better known as the Whitbread), a handicap chase over 3 miles 5 furlongs at 16.05 CET, but it is also the best mixed meeting of the year, with 4 races each over jumps and on the flat. One unusual feature of today´s card is that almost every race has the winner from last year (or earlier) lining up. As Sandown is very much a course for specialists, these horses are automatically on the short list.

The first race is a flat race, a mile handicap, for flat jockeys and N.H. jockeys (6 of each) and was won last year by Twilight Star, who will be partnered this time by Kieren Fallon. Racing off the same weight, he clearly has a good chance, but we also like Directorship (Paul Chamings/ Timmy Murphy), whose only career win came over this CD.

This is followed by the listed hurdle race over 2 miles at 14.30, in which Alsadaa (Lucy Mongan/ Colin Bolger) attempts to follow up last year´s success. His opponents are Ashkazar /David Pipe/ Murphy) and Petit Robin ((Nicky Henderson/ Tony McCoy), who however has been mainly running over fences this season.

The handicap hurdle over 2 1/2 miles at 15.00 looks very open with 16 runners, but last year´s winner Sangfroid (Nick Williams/ Daryl Jacob) is very consistent and should be in the shake-up again. The Celebration Chase (Grade Two) has the German-bred Twist Magic (Paul Nicholls/ Sam Thomas) as clear favourite, despite his mulish behaviour a few days ago at Punchestown, where he refused to race. Before that he ran another stinker at Cheltenham, but he is easily the best horse in the field and is a CD specialist - winning this last year. If Thomas can get him to jump off and then into a racing rhythm, he should win this easily.

The Bet365 Gold Cup is of course the big betting race of the day and gives punters plenty of problems. Several of the field ran last time out in the Grand National, with Hello Bud (Nigel and Sam Twiston-Davies) finishing fifth, and Piraya (Pip/ Johnny Farrelly) last of the 13 finishers, while My Will (Paul Nicholls/ Nick Scholfield), Nozic (Nicholls/ Harry Skelton), The Package (Pipe/ Murphy) and Irish Raptor (Twiston-Davies/ Paddy Brennan) all failed to complete. The National is such a tough event that we would be inclined to discard all of these for betting purposes.

Philip Hobbs, who is in any case in terrific form, is the trainer with the best recent record here and fields 3 candidates, of whom two top-weight Monkerhostin (Mr. M. Griffiths) (2008) and Lacdoudal (Tom O´Brien) (2006) hv already won this. While they must be respected again, they are not getting any younger, and Fairoak Lad (/Richard Johnson), who has won 3 of his 5 starts this season) looks the stable´s best chance. Paul Nicholls saddles 4 runners, and although he regards Just Amazing (Christian Williams) as his main hope, we would also expect Hoo la Baloo (Ian Popham), third in this in 2008 and now racing off a much lowr mark, to run well. However our big hope is German-bred Air Force One (Charlie Mann/ Graham Lee), who will like the ground, and after failing to win for 2 years, has now dropped to a very reasonable mark.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Twilight Star - Striding Edge - Halsion Chancer
2. Race: Petit Robin - Ashkazar - Apartman
3. Race: Sangfroid - Indian Groom - Tritonville Lodge
4. Race: Twist Magic - Oh Crick - Fix The Rib
5. Race: Fairoak Lad - Just Amazing - The Package
6. Race: Paco Boy - Confront - Border Patrol
7. Race: Crowded House - Glass Harmonium - Laaheb
8. Race: Mabait - Dunn`O - Chapter And Verse