Racing Tips: Best Bets for the Live Action from Sandown and Wincanton

With the festivities just about over for another year, we can settle back into our regular televised Saturday racing fare. This week, the ITV cameras head to Sandown and Wincanton to serve up a seven-race helping of National Hunt action. The Listed Mares Hurdle from Sandown tops the bill from a class perspective, with a host of handicapping action, headlined by the finals of the Veterans Series, completing the menu.

Here, using analysis presented by NewBettingSites.uk, we pick out our best bets in all seven races.

Sandown 1:50 – Read Nicky Henderson’s Weekly Unibet Blog Handicap Chase

Dan Skelton’s Etalon heads the betting in the opener but is beginning to run out of chances. Three wins from four outings in 2023/24 suggested he may be a horse to follow this season. However, his three efforts to date have yielded three defeats by a combined 109l. He gets his preferred going here but still looks a little short at around the 7/2 mark.

Hunter Legend comes next but is up 8lb for a win in a weaker race, whilst the otherwise likeable Jupiter Du Gite has disappointed in three previous outings at this track.

In a tricky heat, the one to take a chance on at a nice each-way price is the Harry Derham runner Hubrisko. Formerly based with Willie Mullins, this one has hit the frame in four of five outings over fences and went down by just 1½l to the 149-rated hurdler Ballyadam in a Beginners Chase at Wexford. He didn’t show much on his return over hurdles at Newbury in November, but that should have blown away the cobwebs, and he looks fairly handicapped off 134.

• Best Bet - Hubrisko each way @ 16/1 with BetGoodwin

Wincanton 2:05 – Bet £20 Get £20 With Unibet Handicap Hurdle

Handicap debutante St Lukes Chelsea catches the eye in the first televised race from Wincanton. A little unlucky to finish second last time out at Fontwell, he may prove better than an opening mark of 98, but hasn’t been missed by the market.

Soldier’s Leap boasts a similarly unexposed profile but needs to improve for the application of the first-time tongue tie, whilst the in-form Our Dylan has a career-high mark to defy.

We again prefer an each-way punt in this one, and the horse to catch our eye is the Gary & Josh Moore runner, Odin’s Quest. In his only previous outing over this course and distance, he comfortably despatched the now 102-rated Jack Sprat in a Maiden Hurdle contest. Last sighted when pulled up over 2m5½f in March, he had previously finished a solid third at Taunton and Ludlow. A recurring bleeding issue is a slight concern, but he looks worth chancing off a mark of 96.

• Best Bet - Odin’s Quest each way @ 10/1 with LiveScoreBet

Sandown 2:25 – Try Unibet’s New Smartview Racecards Mares’ Hurdle

Having won three of her last four starts, the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Dameofthecotswolds seems sure to be popular in this Listed affair. There was a lot to like about her recent success at Doncaster, but a zero from 7 on soft or worse going tempers our enthusiasm.

Aston Martini has threatened to prove up to this level in the past but was well beaten on her only previous soft-ground outing over this trip, whilst the likeable Georgi Girl probably has too much to find on ratings.

Overall, we agree with the market in rating Della Casta Lunga as the one to beat. Her second to Kateira in a Listed event at Kempton reads particularly well, and she built on that to defy a mark of 134 in handicap company last time out. At her best going right-handed, she should make a bold bid from the front.

• Best Bet - Della Casa Lunga to win @ 85/40 with BetGoodwin

Wincanton 2:40 – Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Handicap Chase

Tom Lacey’s Nocte Volatus tops the betting for the first Veterans Final. Second to subsequent December Gold Cup winner Gemirande at Ascot, he is handicapped to go close off the same mark of 129.

Jeremy Scott’s Stormy Flight, who went down narrowly to the useful Lowry’s Bar last time, makes the shortlist. As does impressive Lingfield scorer Le Ligerien. However, this can go to the Paul Nicholls-trained Quel Destin. A Grade 1 winning hurdler in his pomp and rated as high as 155 over fences, he picked up two soft-ground wins at around this trip last season. The second of those saw him see off the excellent First Flow at Chepstow, and he gets in off a 1lb lower mark here.

• Best Bet - Quel Destin to win @ 5/1 with LiveScoreBet

Sandown 3:00 – Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase

Having just past his thirteenth birthday, the grand old servant Sam Brown returns to defend his crown in this 3m event. A 6lb higher mark doesn’t rule him out, but the 2024 edition took place at Warwick, and he was well beaten on his only previous run at Sandown.

The two we like best here are course winners Copperhead and Eldorado Allen. Copperhead has shown more this season, but we prefer the claims of the formerly high-class Eldorado Allen. A trawl through the form of the eleven-year-old reveals third-placed efforts in the Ryanair Chase, runners-up finishes in the Arkle and Betfair Chase, and a fourth in the King George. His most recent outing in a 3m soft ground handicap saw him finish third off 154 in the Sodexo Live Gold Cup. Now down to 149, he may outclass these rivals.

• Best Bet - Eldorado Allen to win @ 4/1 with BetGoodwin

Wincanton 3:15 – Unibet More Extra Place Races Handicap Hurdle

There are no shortage of intriguing contenders in the final race from Wincanton. The hattrick-seeking Kado De Joie is the obvious one for Nicky Henderson, with his late running style making it tough for the handicapper to keep tabs on him. He shouldn’t be far away, but is too short for our liking at a general 9/4.

Ninth Loch should enjoy this test but has top weight of 12st to contend with, which sways us towards the trailblazing Love Of Neymore. This Robert Llewellyn runner is a perfect two from two in handicap hurdles, showed a liking for this track in December, and may prove tough to peg back in the testing ground.

• Best Bet - Love Of Neymore each way @ 9/1 with Midnite

Cheltenham 3:35 – Free Bet With Unibet’s BetBuilder Rebound Handicap Hurdle

In common with the market, we suspect that Oh My Johnny may be the most well-handicapped horse in the finale. However, taking a short price about a runner who has made jarring errors in three of four outings makes limited appeal.

Honky Tonk Highway comes next, but the form of his second to That’s Nice has since taken a couple of hefty blows. The four-timer seeking Navajo Indy makes the most appeal of those at the head of the market. However, the one who looks a couple of points too big is the defending champion, Hardy Du Seuil. Three lengths too good for the field in 2024, he’s 6lb higher here but has conditions in his favour and arrives on the back of a solid second at Carlisle on his seasonal return.

• Best Bet - Hardy Du Seuil each way @ 8/1 with LiveScoreBet