Horse Racing Betting Tips: Don’t be a chicken and side with Lecoq in Sandown’s Imperial Cup
JUST four days to go ladies and gentlemen until the best four days of the year. It perhaps shouldn’t be surprising that given the remarkably dry winter we’ve had, a recent wet spell means that the Cheltenham Festival is likely to start on fairly soft ground.
Conditions are going to be testing at Sandown Park tomorrow as well, where the highlight is the 16-runner Matchbook Imperial Cup (2.25pm).
A £100,000 bonus is up for grabs for any horse that takes this and then follows up in any race at the Festival next week.
It’s a very hard double to pull off, but the Pipe family have done it in the past and David will be hoping Extra Mag can land the first leg tomorrow.
He is an interesting runner on just his fourth start for the yard, but I’m slightly worried about his lack of experience combined with the very soft ground.
I’m sure he will end up much better than a 132-rated horse, it’s just tomorrow may not be his day.
Regular readers will know I put up MONSIEUR LECOQ for the cancelled Betfair Hurdle last month and although he’s favourite, I’m not going to desert him in this.
He was a very impressive winner over course and distance in January and is carrying practically no weight because of the presence of Call Me Lord.
Jane Williams’ son Chester takes off 7lbs and with form on testing ground he looks a good bet at 11/2 with Ladbrokes.
Call Me Lord has such a fantastic record at Sandown that he has to be respected, but he’s going to have to produce a brilliant performance to concede over two stone to my selection.
In the preceding Matchbook-sponsored EBF Final (1.50pm), you can be fairly certain a big field will be declared later this morning.
Nigel Twiston-Davies’ One For Rosie is the obvious favourite having won three of his four career starts.
The main worry with him is that his only disappointing effort was when he encountered soft ground.
Colin Tizzard has some powerful bullets to fire at Cheltenham next week but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind pocketing this prize on the way.
RUSSIAN HAWK won a novice hurdle at Exeter on his reappearance and has since been placed in two more at Ascot.
There was no disgrace in finishing third to the promising Downtown Getaway in January, where the slow pace wouldn’t haven’t suited.
Last month he failed by the narrowest of margins to reel in Dashel Drasher and the combination of a bigger field, stronger tempo and a slight step up in trip could do the trick tomorrow.
He is entered in next week’s Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, and he will definitely be a three-miler sooner rather than later, but it would be strange if connections were willing to forego a handicap mark of 133.
At 9/1 with Ladbrokes, he looks a very good each-way bet.
My final selection in the hope of boosting the Cheltenham coffers is Nick Williams’ HORATIO HORNBLOWER at a massive 25/1 in the Matchbook Best Value Exchange Handicap Chase (3.35pm).
The 11-year-old was beaten just a head by the then 14-year-old Pete The Feat in this contest 12 months ago and he runs off a 4lb lower mark tomorrow.
It’s not as if he’s been running that badly since, either, as two starts back he was third, admittedly beaten quite a long way, to Mister Malarky and Carlos De Fruitier who have both won since.
He was a bit disappointing last time at Warwick when unseating two out, but he is now down to his last winning mark and is reunited with Sam Twiston-Davies who has ridden him four times and never finished outside the three.
While this is his only entry, plenty of these could run instead at Cheltenham and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the race cut up at declaration stage this morning.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Russian Hawk e/w 1.50pm Sandown
Monsieur Lecoq 2.25pm Sandown
Horatio Hornblower e/w 3.35pm Sandow