Sandown racing tips: Preview of Thursday’s meeting
Odds and preview for all six races
Coral sponsor every race on a quality card at Sandown on Thursday.
We take a look at each of the six contests for our Sandown racing tips ahead of what promises to be an informative evening at the Esher circuit.
5.45 Play Coral “Racing-Super-Series” For Free Handicap
BAD COMPANY heads the field for the opening contest – and plenty will fancy him to give weight and a beating to his rivals at 5/2.
Jim Boyle’s charge won his final four races of last season after being stepped up to a mile and a quarter and made a promising start to the new campaign when runner-up to HMS President at Windsor earlier this month.
Raised only a pound to a mark of 77, Bad Company looks sure to go close once more, with 8/1 shot SUNS UP GUNS UP and course winner BORN TO PLEASE (16/1) perhaps his biggest dangers.
6.15 Coral “Beaten By A Length” National Stakes
Eight previous winners are set to contest what looks a strong renewal of a Listed event which is often a stepping stone to Royal Ascot.
The standard is set by the George Boughey-trained NAVELLO, who is the 15/8 favourite after completing a hat-trick in the Lily Agnes Conditions Stakes at Chester three weeks ago. The Ivawood colt has proved himself versatile ground-wise and should prove hard to beat.
CHIPOTLE is next in the betting at 4/1 and has certainly earnt this step up in class following wins at Doncaster and Ascot, while Musselburgh scorer BOND CHAIRMAN is an interesting challenger from the north at 8/1.
6.50 Coral Henry II Stakes
OCEAN WIND and NAYEF ROAD lock horns in a fascinating clash for this two-mile Group Three.
Roger Teal’s Ocean Wind is the clear market leader at e0/11 and would not be winning out of turn following three successive runner-up finishes, most recently pushing triple Gold Cup winner Stradivarius close in Ascot’s Sagaro Stakes.
If he can get back on the winning trail, a rematch with Stradivarius at the Royal meeting next month will be very much on the cards.
The Mark Johnston-trained Nayef Road (9/4), who has chased home Stradivarius on several occasions, undoubtedly possesses the required talent to make a race of it, but does need to bounce back from a rare disappointing effort in the Yorkshire Cup.
RANCH HAND (9/2) looks the one most likely to pick up the pieces if the big two fail to fire.
7.25 Coral Brigadier Gerard Stakes
Sir Michael Stoute has saddled 11 previous winners of this prestigious event and will have high hopes of adding to his tally with 11/10 shot SANGARIUS.
The five-year-old looked a potential star in the making after winning the 2019 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot (below) but was not seen in competitive action again for 12 months.
He only raced twice in 2020 but did make a promising start to the current campaign when second to Armory in the Huxley Stakes at Chester and top-level targets await if he can go one better in Thursday’s feature.
EXTRA ELUSIVE (2/1) has already won twice in Group Three company and following an unsuccessful outing in the Saudi Cup, shaped much better when third in the Gordon Richards Stakes over the course and distance last time.
8.00 Coral Whitsun Cup Handicap
Stoute also has a major contender for the penultimate race of the evening in RANSOM. The gelded son of Kingman has raced exclusively on the all-weather so far, winning his first two starts at Lingfield and Kempton.
Favourite backers had their fingers burnt after he could finish only fourth on his handicap debut last time, but stepping up to a mile and switching to turf, he is a 11/4 chance to reward those who keep the faith.
EPIC ENDEAVOUR and SEMSER also have a chance at 11/2 and 15/2 respectively. The former has won three of his last four outings, but has been off the track since October, while the latter debuts for Gary Moore on his first outing since scoring in France in early December.
8.30 Coral “Supporting Prostate Cancer” Handicap
The finale looks a devilishly difficult event for punters to decipher in terms of Sandown racing tips, with very little separating several horses at the top of the market.
ENCOURAGE (13/2) carries the colours of the Queen. He is a maiden after four starts but has shaped with plenty of promise and remains open to further improvement.
GRAND SCHEME (9/1) has been similarly consistent, while URBAN VIOLET (5/2) is nicely handicapped as he turns out under a 6lb penalty just a week after bolting up at the track.
FINAL WATCH (7/1) is another to consider in a wide-open contest.
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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
