There’s an excellent afternoon of racing in store from Sandown Park on Thursday afternoon including a classy Listed 2YO contest for the fillies.
They race from 1.00pm through until 4.30pm at the Esher course and you can see every race – alongside all the UK and Irish racing – via live streaming when logged into MansionBet. Our tipster marks your card with a race-by-race look ahead to Sandown on Thursday.
1.00 – Tellisford Handicap (5f)
The hat-trick seeking Buy Me Back is expected to go close again, with Elisha Whittington helping to offset the penalty incurred for scoring at Brighton nine days ago. A drop in class ought to make Saaheq a contender too but SPRING BLOOM can notch the win he’s been threatening since joining this stable. He’s had close seconds at Windsor (5f, good to firm) and Goodwood (6f, good) in three runs and is routinely consistent. Andrea Atzeni is a positive booking and his turn will surely come soon.
Selection: Spring Bloom @ SP
1.35 – Martin Densham Memorial EBF Maiden Stakes (7f)
Newcomers Majalh, Bullet Force and Thesis will be worth keeping a close eye on but between them, DUKEDOM and King’s Guard set a solid standard. The latter is by Oasis Dream and has twice finished second in as many starts for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin, his turn shouldn’t be long in coming. Dukedom, racing in the Royal colours, had no answer to the promising Sonny Liston on debut over C&D 20 days ago when he finished second. He was green but should be wiser here and with progress expected, may well go one better for Frankie Dettori and the Gosden team.
Selection: Dukedom @ SP
2.10 – British Stallion Studs EBF Star Stakes (Fillies’ Listed, 7f)
The Appleby and Gosden teams are heavily involved again here in the feature race with Inspiral and WILD BEAUTY, both Frankel fillies. The former is Frankie Dettori’s mount in the Cheveley Park silks and she came good at the end of a Newmarket maiden on debut last month (form advertised since). There’s progress in her but Wild Beauty is 2-2 over 6f having found the trip too sharp on her Ascot debut in May. Her Haydock and Newbury wins came on soft ground and this better surface can be a positive as her trainer seeks to further enhance a 36 per-cent Sandown strike-rate in 2021.
Selection: Wild Beauty @ SP
2.45 – Young Stayers Handicap (7f)
Mark Johnston saddles two of the four, with Roseabad and Annandale hard to split. The filly Roseabad is untested over this far and could do better for it under William Buick (successful one previous outing together), while Ben Curtis’ mount strictly must improve but may do so. CLASSIC LORD was a 1m4f Haydock winner in May and his latest run here over C&D saw him run down late by Vino Victrix. He’s 2lb higher for that but has Oisin Murphy taking over and might fare best in this small-field scenario.
Selection: Classic Lord @ SP
3.20 – Ewell Handicap (7f)
My Tyrrell and OLD NEWS both arrive here seeking to better near misses on over the past week or so. The latter lost out in a head-bobber at Yarmouth (7f, good to firm) in what amounted to his best effort of the season. He’s eased slightly in class now racing from the same mark and his compensation claims are clear. Richard Hannon’s 7YO cannot be dismissed too hastily after narrowly failing to back up a Windsor win in June over a mile when second at Newbury under this pilot last weekend.
Selection: Old News @ SP
3.55 – Imber Court Handicap (1m2f)
LADY RESET had won two on the spin before finishing third at Doncaster over this sort of trip three weeks ago. David Pipe’s mare ran on strongly but the bird had flown in front and she was left instead to scrap for minor money. This is slightly tougher on paper but she’s clearly in good heart and, from a very light weight when you factor in Laura Pearson’s claim, it’s probable she gets herself in the melting pot again.
Selection: Lady Reset @ SP
4.30 – Twickenham Fillies’ Handicap (1m2f)
William Haggas and Danny Tudhope team up here with handicap debutante LADY ROCKSTAR, a filly by Frankel, and there’s been plenty to like in her three-race career thus far. The form of both her turf runs this season at 1m/1m2f stands up to scrutiny and an opening mark of 75 is perhaps going to underestimate her. Last-time-out Brighton winner Arenas Del Tiempo looks the danger.
Selection: Lady Rockstar @ SP
*All odds correct at time of writing