Ante-Post focus - Sandown Park

With the entries out for a top card at Sandown park this weekend what better way to start the week than with a good little ante-post preview to get us excited for the weekend! The absence of big guns Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy has lead to a bumper entry for the Tingle Creek with 18 featuring in the declarations on Monday. Balder Succes heads the betting at around the 3/1 mark, with oddschecker having the market look a little like this

Oddschecker Tingle Creek betting as of Monday 1st December

I like the fav in this market, he has some top Grade 1 Chase form from last season and made a nice debut this season when going down to God's Own trying to give the winner 5lbs. However the best of Balder Succes's form comes on the flat tracks like Aintree and Kempton, I'm not too sure if the testing nature of the Sandown track will suit Alan King's charge and it is enough of a doubt to make me look elsewhere for an ante-post bet. I definitely have him down as one of the more likely winners with the stable going along very nicely, however the market hasn't missed him and I want to try and find a horse it may have,

God's Own, 2nd fav, has been the subject of very positive soundbites from jockey Paddy Brennan today, who claims he is the fastest 2 mile chaser he has ever ridden and compares his attitude to the great Imperial Commander. As mentioned he was successful on seasonal debut but again has not been missed.

Oscar Whiskey marks the point at me for which the prices get interesting. At 9/1 if he can build on his Cheltenham Paddy Power run, which saw a much improved round of jumping, he has the class from his hurdling days, plus proven ability to act round Sandown, to put up a bold showing here. It may be that the faster pace he gets here will actually help his jumping, certainly his Cheltenham round gave hope to that theory anyway and as the sole representative from the Henderson yard it looks likely he will turn up; Willie Mullins has three very interesting contenders it is unlikely he will send them over and picking which one will represent him is difficult enough, ruling his stable out of my ante-post portfolio. Drying ground will play to Oscar's strengths as well and he is the first of two ante-post interests.

My second selection comes at a much bigger price in the shape of Harry Fry's Vukovar at 25/1. I know that Vukovar was well beaten in the JLT but he was hampered at the opening fence, knocking him out of his rhythm, and faded late after his early race disruptions. Previous to this he was only just beaten by the post-wind op version of Mr Mole, and has a Class 3 win over the Newbury fences on his CV. However look back at some of that French form, over just beyond the 2 mile trip, where he has beaten the likes of Dell' Arca who had the pace to win a Greatwood Hurdle; Certainly Vukovar won't lack for toe for this 2 mile trip. I like this horse for the season ahead and am hopeful that after a fairly long break Fry will have him readied first time up. On only his 4th chase start Vukovar his open to a tonne of improvement and at 25/1 I think his price is easily big enough to take a chance that he can find some on seasonal debut.

Tingle Creek Ante-Post Selections
Oscar Whiskey 9/1 Win Bet
Vukovar 25/1 e/w Bet

I will also touch briefly on the Henry VIII Novices Chase run at Sandown, over Tingle Creek trip, but restricted to novices earlier in the card.

Henry VIII Novices Chase betting, Oddschecker

I'll make the case for Sgt Reckless from the Mick Channon yard who I really like the chances of here. I love the link Channon and Hen Knight have made, with Knight bringing her jumping expertise to the game which is resulting in some of Channon's novice chasers really impressing with their jumping. Sgt Reckless has some top hurdle form from last season, only going down to the likes of Josses Hill (finished 2nd), Vautour (4th in Supreme) and Faugheen (In a Grade 1 at Punchestown) at the end of last season. For me that is the best hurdle form in the field and he has already shown a liking for fences when winning easily on debut at Uttoxeter this season. If Sgt Reckless can bring his hurdling class to Sandown on Saturday and impress again with his jumping he will be very hard to beat and is the selection for me here. If you take the 4/1 on offer now, with the field size as it is, you can bet e/w and get three places. However I really fancy Sgt Reckless to provide Mick Channon with a Grade 1 winner on Saturday.

Henry VIII Novices Chase
Sgt Reckless 4/1 Win Bet