YOU can make a case for many in the Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Handicap Chase at Sandown today.

The 1-2 from last year are both back again. Gunsight Ridge got home by a half a length from Dr T J Eckleberg in last year’s renewal, and he is a player again. He hasn’t won since then, but he has raced just three times and, back at Sandown, where his record reads 1321, all four races over fences, all over today’s course and distance, he has to have a chance of repeating last year’s victory.

But he is 11 now and the handicapper has only dropped him for his last three defeats by the 3lb by which he raised him after last year’s victory. He is not obviously well handicapped on a mark of 142.

Dr T J Eckleberg has been busier in the last 12 months. He beat Javert Allen at Chepstow on his next run after he had run in this race last year, and he went to Aintree and didn’t run badly in the Red Rum Handicap Chase, doing well to get as close as he did from the rear in a race that was dominated by the prominent racers. Even so, he still finished seven lengths behind old rival Gunsight Ridge, who was ridden more prominently.

Dr T J Eckleberg put in a couple of abject displays in the early part of this season, but his latest run at Windsor was much more encouraging. He is back down to a mark of 120 now, he can race off a mark that is 4lb lower than the mark off which he raced last season, when he was 5lb out of the handicap, and that gives him a chance. He should have the race run to suit too.

Escapeandevade is a player, his last three runs have been good, and he was unlucky to just get caught last time by Koukeo after he had led until half-way up the run-in. But he is 3lb higher now than he was then, he is 15lb higher than he was in October, a 10-year-old, and, more importantly, those last three runs were all at Haydock.

It is not certain that he will be as good at Sandown. His forward-going style of racing is well suited to Sandown, and he has form on soft ground, but he may face plenty of competition for the lead.

Jax Junior is a player too, and he has had a wind operation since he finished fourth behind Steel Ally at Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle meeting just before Christmas. But all his best form is on good or good to soft ground. Conditions may be more testing than ideal for him.

Also, the drop back down to two miles may not be ideal. His best form is over two and a half miles, and he ran in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle over three miles as a novice hurdler.

Taking a chance

It may be worthwhile taking a chance on Haddex Des Obeaux at the price. He is a forward-going type too, and it is not ideal that it looks like there is going to be plenty of competition for the early lead, but you probably won’t want to be too far off the pace either, it can be difficult to make ground at Sandown on the chase track, even on soft ground, unless they have gone far too fast early on, which is, admittedly, a possibility here.

But Haddex Des Obeaux has plenty in his favour besides. He is nine years old now, but he has raced just eight times over fences. He is lightly raced for his age.

A progressive novice chaser for Gary Moore, who reached a rating of 146 as a novice, he ran a big race in the Tingle Creek Chase over today’s course and distance in 2023, on heavy ground.

He led from early that day, and he only gave best to Jonbon and Edwardstone on the run to the final fence. In the end, he was beaten less than five lengths by Jonbon, who was rated 170 then.

Off the track for almost two years after that, he was pulled up on his first run for Donald McCain in the Shloer Chase in November, but he showed the benefit of that run last time, when he finished fourth in the Castleford Chase at Wetherby over Christmas.

He led from early that day before succumbing to Traprain Law at the second last fence. He did weaken from there, but a mistake at the final fence accentuated the magnitude of his defeat.

That run, his second run back after a long break, could bring him forward again and, back at Sandown, back over the Tingle Creek course and distance, the course and distance over which he put up the best performance of his life, he could step forward again.

The best two runs over his career to date have been on heavy ground, one of them in that Tingle Creek Chase, on heavy ground at Sandown, so the ground is not a negative. Rated 153 at the start of this season, he is down to a mark of 145 now, 3lb lower than he was for the Castleford Chase, and that gives him a chance. He could out-run his odds by a fair way.

Virgin Bet Heroes Hurdle

Sole Solution could also out-run his odds later on in the Virgin Bet Heroes Handicap Hurdle.

Venetia Williams’ horse was a progressive novice hurdler last season, and he proved his ability to operate at Sandown, on heavy ground at Sandown, when he stayed on well to win the two and a half mile novices’ handicap hurdle on heavy ground at this meeting last year, just getting the better of Kalif D’Airy with the pair of them clear.

He didn’t run again after than last season, he was withdrawn twice because of good ground, and his first two runs this season were over fences. He was back over hurdles for a Pertemps qualifier last time at Huntingdon and, while he was well beaten in the end, there was mitigation.

He raced around the inside the whole way, probably on the worst of the ground, and he was still travelling well until he made a fairly bad mistake at the fifth last flight.

He is down to a mark of 115 now, and that is a workable mark, less the 5lb that Ned Fox claims.

It is interesting that Venetia Williams is fitting cheekpieces today for the first time and, back at Sandown, where he is one for one, and back on heavy ground, a surface on which his record reads 1213, he could go well.