By Tony Calvin - 4 March 2025
With all due respect to Hereford and Wolverhampton – which of course means that precious little is about to come their way – Sandown is the only game in town this weekend.
And fair play to the course for re-introducing the 100k bonus – and it is their money/liability, not the sponsors’ – for any horse winning Saturday’s Imperial Cup and any race at the Cheltenham Festival next week.
Next week.
Finally….
Whether or not the 100k bonus has had any bearing on it, I am not sure, but Sandown have been rewarded with a very healthy five-day entry of 28, so a maximum field of 22 on the day is not totally out of the question.
There are only two horses with alternative engagements (Imaginarium is in at Exeter on Friday, so definitely hold fire on that one), and 13 are eligible for the bonus (see the lists below).
I thought Ooh Betty may have gone to Kelso in order to get in on the 100k bonus act but she didn’t figure among the five-day entries last Monday – I am pretty sure she was originally in that early-closer – and maybe connections have had their eye on this for a while instead.
It is worth £51,440 to the winner in its own right, so the bonus is, err, simply an added bonus.
Ooh Betty has that all-important Sandown hurdles’ form after all, having won here decisively by 3 ½ lengths in November, and that is not where the positives end as to her chances.
Others with solid proven course form include, most obviously, Go Dante, last year’s winner and not a bad 10s poke, Knickerbockerglory, Hardy Du Seuil and Spirits Bay.
Ooh Betty is 9lb higher here but that seems more than justified given the way that form has worked out – the runner-up is now 8lb higher, and the third has run two crackers in defeat, too – and she has since gone on to win at Kempton (second is now 5lb higher) and finish an excellent third in a Grade 2 at Ascot.
Sods law then that the only time I have backed her this season she ran inexplicably badly at Newbury, so I guess she may have the odd blow-out performance in her.
But trainer Ben Clarke is in good form with his small string (two recent winners from five runners, albeit both were [5/4]) and the handicapper has played fair by not raising her for that third at Ascot last time.
He could have given her a pound or two, and I loved the way she travelled through that race before the form horses asserted from the last.
The fourth, 5 1/2 lengths behind her (she was rated 6lb higher, and was giving her only 2lb), has since won a novices’ chase by 16 lengths (at odds of [4/7]) and the sixth has run very well in defeat when third at Musselburgh.
The drying ground is very much in her favour (it is still soft, good to soft over hurdles though – going update below – and they have begun watering on Tuesday), and the [16/1] available in two places looks too big to me.
You will get enhanced terms on the day but the 16s each way, four places, look good ante-post business to me.
If you can’t access the 16s – and we shouldn’t be blasé about these prices being even available to the majority, let alone all – then the 14s out there is absolutely fine, but go no lower, given the depth of the race. 12s would pretty much be her true price, as it stands.
If I see anything else of note at Sandown, I’ll be back with an update.
AKBets have also priced up the devilishly difficult, 24-strong, EBF novices’ handicap hurdle at 1.50pm though, in which they make Meetmebythesea their early [7/2] favourite.
It’s not looking likely at this stage then (fresh Esher bets and copy, that is…), and Hereford’s ITV race is perhaps in danger of getting kicked off the box, so let’s hope most stand their ground.
The 15k 2m handicap chase at 2.05pm has only attracted seven five-day entries and three of those could go elsewhere this week (and two of those are priced up at [7/4] and [11/4] by the firms who have decided to go up – I can’t see why they would myself given the shape of the race).
The two races at Wolverhampton don’t have any double entries, so you’ll probably match the current prices on the day itself , though AKBets have priced up the Lincoln Trial at 2.45pm and the 7f Listed race at 3.20pm.
Feel free to get stuck in, though.
Going – Chase: Good, good to soft in places: Hurdles: Good to soft, soft in places
Going stick – Chase: 5.2 Hurdles; 4.5 (Wednesday 12.30pm)
Weather: Dry and sunny; chances of light showers later in week
Wednesday afternoon course update: 33mm rain from Feb 19 to Feb 26 inclusive. Dry since Feb 27 and outlook is to remain dry until at least Friday when there is a chance of some light rain, 1-2mm max. Temperatures in the low to mid teens, with cold nights until Thursday.
Watering: Given current ground conditions and forecast of a generally dry week, selective watering began in the Back Straight on Tuesday to maintain Good ground. Repeated Wednesday pm – 7mm each application. Will involve most of the Chase Course Back Straight, and about 2 furlongs of the Hurdle Course. Will be reviewed Thursday and Friday, but at this stage watering likely to continue until Friday evening.
Travel: J10 to J11 of the M25 is due to be closed in both directions from Friday evening 7 March to Monday morning 10 March, therefore impacting Saturday’s racing. The A3 remains open, but with diversions in place to reach it from the M25.
Going: Good, good to soft in places
Going stick: N/A
Weather: 5.6mm Thursday; 3.2mm Friday; 0.8mm Saturday
Rails: The last fence (Fence 3) has been removed due to ground under repair. Distances TBC.
Wednesday morning course update: Dry since last Thursday Wed- Frost first thing .Dry and sunny during the day. Milder overnight Thurs – Dry and cloudy during the day -Chance of showers overnight Fri – Dry and Cloudy. Small chance of showers first thing and overnight Sat – Dry and Cloudy
Going: Standard
Weather: 4.9mm Thursday; 2.4mm Friday
Stalls: 7f 36y outside; Remainder inside
Eligible for 100k bonus: Afadil, All In You, Batman Girac, Bo Zenith, Go Dante, Knickerbockerglory, Lump Sum, Norman Fletcher, Ooh Betty, Spirits Bay, Tapley, We’re Red And Blue, Welsh Charger
1.50pm Sandown (24 entries): Kepler’s Law, Laurens Bay
2.05pm Hereford (7 entries): Hypotenus, Meckenberg, Western General
2.25pm Sandown (28 entries): Golden Maverick, Imaginarium (entered overnight at Exeter on Friday)
2.45pm Wolverhampton (17 entries): NONE
3.00pm Sandown (10 entries): Gower Spirit, Roses All The Way
3.20pm Wolverhampton (9 entries): NONE
3.35pm Sandown (20 entries): Coco Madamemoiselle, Georges Saint, Hurricane Bay, Invincible Nao, Regatta De Blanc (entered overnight at Wincanton on Thursday), Sound And Fury
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