Sandown Saturday

1.50 EBF Betfair “National Hunt” Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final 2m 3f 178yd

The EBF Final is as competitive as ever on paper and promises to be a race to follow closely. One notable aspect of the latest renewal is how many of the field have made the running recently, with over half the field having gone from the front over hurdles and no fewer than seven making the running on their most recent start. That makes for a hotly contested pace scenario and it should pay to side with one that can come from off the gallop.

Scorpio Rising looks the best fit in terms of form and run style, and although he raced handily when winning at Lingfield in November, he improved further when coming from further back to beat Top Jimmy at Windsor in January. The form of both of those races has worked out, with two of the four he beat at Lingfield winning next time and both Harry Lowes and Kel Du Large – unplaced at Windsor – have won subsequently.

Olly Murphy’s gelding has gone up a total of 15lb for his last two wins but has scored with something up his sleeve both times and a well-run race at a stiff track promises to elicit further improvement, making him look a solid bet despite this representing his stiffest task to date.

Get On George is interesting at a much bigger price. He failed to stay three miles in the Grade 2 River Don last time but had been progressing well up to that point, and is a rare runner at the track for Sue Smith and Joel Parkinson.

2.27 Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle 1m 7f 216yd

Olly Murphy is looking for a treble in this contest having saddled Go Dante to win in 2024 and 2025, and he runs again, although it’s Murphy’s other runner that really takes my eye. Despite top weight, there is a lot to like about Fingle Bridgeat the prices here, and he shaped really well before his stamina was stretched at Warwick (two-miles-five, soft) last time.

He didn’t take as well as expected to fences despite winning one from three, and it seems a wise move by Olly Murphy to send him back over hurdles. A year ago, he beat Regent’s Stroll and Alexei in a listed novice at Exeter and he looked sure to win at Warwick when looming up on the home turn only to flatten out over the longest trip he’s raced over.

Fingle Bridge’s run style means that he needs a strong pace and his pronounced knee action means he’ll always need some dig in the ground, with Murphy never tempted to enter him at Cheltenham. He arrives here in better form than his figures suggest and this big, strong gelding is just the type to relish conceding weight to inferiors, being built to carry weight.

Gavin Sheehan rode him last time and will have learned what the gelding needs, so expect him to be off the pace until the home straight before devouring the ground on the long climb to the winning post.

3.00 British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ Open NH Flat Race (Listed) 1m 7f 216yd

Burds Of A Feather boasts the best form having won by 19 lengths at Warwick, but there must be a doubt about her repeating that big debut effort, seeming very much on her mettle in the preliminaries as much as the race itself and she raced very keenly on the front end, doing well to maintain the gallop under a fine ride by David Bass.

It’s possible she’ll be more settled now, but she can’t afford to run with the choke out on a track as stiff as Sandown and will be vulnerable if she does so.

I prefer the claims of another debut winner, the Gary and Josh Moore-trained Ti’Mamzel, a winner of the Henrietta Knight Mares’ Bumper at Huntingdon on her first start, where she stayed on strongly to beat Ladies Day, with the reopposing Lune Brillante only sixth.

The latter met some trouble early in the straight but wasn’t travelling anything like as well as the winner at the time, and will do well to turn the tables, for all the stiffer track will suit the Carlisle winner.

Ti’Mamzel was beaten at Windsor last time but went a long way to confirming the promise of her debut against geldings and under a penalty, giving the impression that a stronger pace/stiffer track would have suited the way she kept on in the closing stages. She should get this run to suit and looks to offer the best value in an open race.

3.35 Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase 3m 42yd

Calymistic was my initial pick here but some more rain than expected on Friday afternoon means that he will be racing on the softest surface that he’s faced, and that concern is exacerbated by a step up in trip to three miles having just held on over two miles and six and a half furlongs at Newbury last time.

If that does stretch his stamina as seems likely, then Sound And Fury looks best placed to take advantage having form over further as well as on testing ground. He ran his best race over fences when winning at Carlisle last month by two and a quarter lengths from Hudson De Grugy. With Welcom To Cartries also vulnerable on soft ground, Sound And Fury may not need to improve further to win for a trainer/jockey combination having a tremendous season.

Wolverhampton Saturday

2.05 Make The Move To Midnite Handicap 6f 20yd

Kullazain had two subsequent winners, including Accrual, behind when winning over course and distance in late December and he didn’t have the race to suit when third at Kempton last time, tending to over-race when seeing too much daylight in the early stages but still running close to form in the circumstances.

The return to this sharper track will help and he should get the perfect tow into the race courtesy of the front-running Cinque Verde.

2.42 BetMGM Lincoln Trial Handicap 1m 142yd

Stall 11 may seem a little wider than ideal for The Lost King but stall 10 produced the winner last season and there shouldn’t be much cause for concern for Andrew Balding’s son of Kingman, who has come right back to his best on the all-weather of late.

Beating Popmaster with a trio of subsequent winners immediately behind over seven furlongs at Kempton on his penultimate start and then finishing second to that rival over a mile when simply lacking the winner’s turn of foot in a moderately run race.

He will appreciate the likely stronger pace here and although he tended to race freely on turf last year (behind La Botte in the Britannia at Royal Ascot on his last turf outing, having raced too keenly on the front end), he’s settled perfectly on his last two starts and appeals as a solid bet with the race likely to be run to suit.

La Botte is an obvious danger given how well he shaped in the Britannia, but he’s not been seen since and may need the run to put him right for the Lincoln, a race for which he would make plenty of appeal assuming he shapes well enough here.

Recommended

Scorpio Rising 1.50 Sandown – 1.5pts e/w @ 11/2 (Bet365; 5/1 general – 5 places)

Fingle Bridge 2.27 Sandown – 1pt e/w @ 22/1 *Bet365; 20/1 SkyBet, Paddy Power – 6 pl)

Ti’Mamzel 3.00 Sandown – 1pt win @ 15/2 (Hills; 7/1 general)

The Lost King 2.42 Wolverhampton – 1pt win @ 15/2 (Bet365; 7/1 general)