Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
It’s the last hurrah for the jumps season and ITV are making the Sandown meeting the centrepiece of their Saturday programme. They are televising five races from the Esher course starting with the 1.05pm right through to 3.25pm with the highlight being the bet365 Gold Cup where Kitty’s Light is trying for a magnificent treble.
ITV are backing up their Sandown jumps coverage with two top-class handicaps on the flat, one each from Haydock and Leicester, both of which are very difficult to find the winner.
So I have looked through the cards to try and find the best value for this week’s Lucky Fifteen and here we go!
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.05 Sandown. Arqoob
2.15 Sandown. Tea Clipper
3.25 Sandown. Quel Destin
3.45 Haydock. Rhoscolyn
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Sandown kicks off with the bet365 Novices Championship Final Handicap Hurdle, a 2-mile contest. Nicky Henderson has a pair of runners and they are both high up in the betting.
Under Control and Iberico Lord have both shown fine form this season winning five races between them but Under Control’s win at Cheltenham last week gives him the edge over his stablemate.
Paul Nicholls has won two of the last four runnings of this race and he has three runners this year all of which top the handicap.
Harry Cobden has chosen to ride Killaloan who has won his last three – the latest of which was at Ludlow in March so he should be the best of the trio.
But these two heavyweight trainers won’t get it all their own way. There are others who will want to get in the act, one of which is Jeremy Scott with Celtic Art who has won twice at Wincanton this year but this is a step up in class.
Lucy Wadham’s Arqoob won at Huntingdon last month then ran into a top-class juvenile at Newbury but ran a good second. That was good form and I will give Arqoob the nod.
The big race of the afternoon is the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase run over 3m 4f at 2.15 where Christian Williams’s Kitty’s Light goes for a hat-trick after winning the Eider Chase and the Scottish National. That is tremendous form but this race comes just a week after the Ayr heroics so I must reluctantly pass him over. But I’ve done that in the past and it’s cost me dear!
The top weight is Paul Nicholls’s Frodon but he’s never won over this distance plus he’s now getting a bit long in the tooth.
The big Irish raider is Gordon Elliott’s The Goffer who was pulled up last time at Fairyhouse prior to that he had run a fine fourth in the Ultima at Cheltenham, he can be placed.
Seamus Mullins’s Moroder won at Doncaster last month after disappointing prior to that but this is much tougher.
Mucho Mas won here at Sandown for Ben Pauling last month. He runs consistently well but is playing with the big boys here.
Similarly with Chris Gordon’s Coolvalla who has won five low-grade races this season but pulled up in the Festival at Cheltenham.
Tom Lacey’s Tea Clipper has been lightly raced this season but highly tried. He’s not been seen since his sixth in the Ultima but last October he beat Kitty’s Light and Annsam at Ascot. He prefers good going and may get that here so he carries my money.
The 3.25 is the bet365 Josh Gifford Novices Handicap Chase run over 2m 4f where Paul Nicholls again runs the top two in the handicap.
Cap Du Mathan and Quel Destin and the latter looks the one for me. He ran a fine second behind Gary Moore’s Hudson De Grugny who won by a neck but Quel Destin is two pounds better off.
Ben Pauling’s Quinta Do Mar has won two small races at Fontwell this season. He will have more to do here.
Pauling’s horse beat Nicky Henderson’s Fable at Fontwell and should repeat those placings.
Sarah Humphrey’s Gloire d’Athon has run up a hat-trick this term, including one race here at Sandown and can nab a place but it’s Quel Destin for me.
The big handicap of the day at Haydock is at 3.45- the Join Racing TV Now Handicap a 7-furlong contest. Top weight here is Richard Hannon’s Witch Hunter who has been busy having run four times already this year. probably his best run was last time where he ran second on the all-weather at Newcastle at the beginning of this month, but his weight looks like a problem.
Ralph Beckett’s Biggles had a fine season last year winning four times in some lower-class races. His trainer now sees him fit enough to move up to Grade 2 which he did on his last race in November where he finished second, he can be placed again.
Tim Easterby’s Boardman won this last year but he has 8lbs more this time around. He ran poorly in the Lincoln on his second outing of the year and needs to show improvement.
Katie Scott’s Gweedore looks to have a good chance after a victory at Musselburgh earlier this month but this looks tougher.
I like David O’Meara’s Rhoscolyn who ran good third places at Royal Ascot and Goodwood and his trainer says of him that he’s in line for a strong season in 2023 and is handicapped to win some nice races – this could be the first of them.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.05 Sandown. Arqoob
2.15 Sandown. Tea Clipper
3.25 Sandown. Quel Destin
3.45 Haydock. Rhoscolyn
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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