- Westport (Sandown, 13.50) – 2pts win @ 7/4 (Bet365)
- Encounter (Sandown, 15.00) – 1pt win @ 5/1 (Bet365)
- So Alex (Sandown, 16.42) – 1pt win @ 11/4 (Bet365)
- Thursday Girl (Sandown, 17.15) – 1pt each-way @ 9/2 (Bet365)
There’s another competitive Friday of racing action to come and horse racing correspondent Jonathan Doidge has been looking over the Sandown card for his tips using the best odds from betting sites.
Never involved on his handicap debut in a big field at Royal Ascot, WESTPORT is given the chance to atone here in a much smaller but nonetheless strong field.
Unbeaten and a significant improver on his first three starts, he is proven over further than this, which is a positive given the stiff nature of the sprint track at the Esher venue.
Perhaps racing down the centre at Ascot didn’t help, or maybe he wasn’t in love with fast ground but whichever way you look at that run, for a horse who was 10/1 in a 27-runner festival handicap to be beaten by 11 lengths, I’m pretty certain he didn’t give his true running.
The handicapper has dropped him 1lb going into this, which won’t harm and I’d be very surprised if better days are not ahead of him, starting with bouncing back to win this with a decent price available on horse racing betting sites.
Friday racing tip 1: Westport (Sandown, 13.50) – 2pts win @ 7/4 (Bet365)
Despite the dearth of form, this could make up into a cracking contest for those with some experience and should also double as a handy pointer.
Collateral Damage heads the list of 12 declared runners. He ran green but was still able to win at Catterick on debut but he looks likely to need significant improvement top defy a penalty.
Gymbaazy beat one of today’s runners ENCOUNTER when the pair met over C&D on good ground three weeks ago. The former, trained by Owen Burrows, ran really well to get up late that day and he does look a threat once again, despite his penalty.
However, now that Encounter has got a couple of runs under his belt, Sean Woods’ colt might have what it takes to kick on. Ryan Moore is booked for the mount and this juvenile had excuses in last month’s second start, as he stumbled when the field was tightly packed.
With the best in the business up and a 5lb pull with his conqueror Gymbaazy, the well drawn Encounter can hopefully prove good enough to reverse those placings this time with value to be found on betting apps.
Friday racing tip 2: Encounter (Sandown, 15.00) – 1pt win @ 5/1 (Bet365)
An interesting stayers’ handicap, where Marnier will have his supporters and Pyleates could outperform her modest official mark of 66 and will doubtless interest players of the ‘each-way bet to nothing’.
However, the one I think could prevail for the first time on turf in this race is SO ALEX. He’s a dual winner over Wolverhampton’s 1m4f trip (Tapeta) and has been largely consistent since a good winter campaign.
He returned from a break to stick on for second at Ripon (1m4f, good) in May, before he was stepped up to 1m6f at Carlisle (good) last time, when he was held up and showed good stamina up the hill to stay on and be just ¾ of a length adrift of the winner at the post.
Billy Loughnane rode him to those two AW wins and perhaps, with him back on board, So Alex can enjoy slightly better fortune again. He gets the nod.
Friday racing tip 3: So Alex (Sandown, 16.42) – 1pt win @ 11/4 (Bet365)
Another competitive contest to get stuck into as the curtain falls on Friday’s Sandown card.
Silca Bay is up 2lb since winning a slow ground apprentices’ contest at Goodwood (1m) last time and Eve Johnson Houghton’s gelding should again make his presence felt.
However, he may not be open to quite as much improvement as handicap newcomers Ascending Star or THURSDAY GIRL. The former was placed third in a couple of maiden and novice events when in the care of James Owen last year.
Subsequently gelded, he changed hands in May and made an immediate impact for his latest handler Owen Burrows, making all to see off a 1/5 shot in a Lingfield novices’ contest (7½f, good) later that month.
He’s been allotted an initial mark of 80, which probably means he’s going to need another step up to win this. Of course, that’s entirely possible but I’m going to take him on.
Thursday Girl is the other handicap debutante and she failed to win any of her three qualifying starts. Perhaps that’s why, with an official mark of 74, she looks a bit better handicapped to my eye.
She steps up a full furlong to this distance and there’s some hope from her pedigree that she’ll get the trip and may even improve for it. With the field size as it is, she might be worth playing each-way for a bit of insurance but it wouldn’t surprise me if she proves up to the task of winning.
Friday racing tip 4: Thursday Girl (17.15) – 1pt each-way @ 9/2 (Bet365)
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