Saturday’s live racing will come from the Jump Finale at Sandown with additional action on the flat from Leicester and Haydock.
- 1:45 Sandown: bet365 Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle – Kocktail Bleu @ 8/1
- 2:05 Leicester: Caffreys Black Stout King Richard III Cup Handicap – Zoulu Chief @ 13/2
- 2:20 Sandown: bet365 Oaksey Chase – Blow Your Wad @ 6/4
- 2:35 Haydock: William Hill Epic Boosts Handicap – Cosi Bello @ 7/2
- 2:55 Sandown: bet365 Celebration Chase – Jonbon @ 11/8
- 3:30 Sandown: bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase – Montregard @ 5/1
The opening race on our screens will be Sandown’s Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle. Plenty have chances but our selection goes to the Chris Gordon runner Kocktail Blue who followed up a second place in the Grade 2 Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton with a win at Newbury despite some jumping errors.
Leicester’s big race on Saturday is the £50k King Richard III Cup, a 6f sprint handicap. Heather Main’s Zoulu Chief has finished in the top three in all five of his runs since being gelded last July and is a solid pick to finish in at least the places here.
The Grade 2 Oaksey Chase has Gary and Josh Moore’s Blow Your Wad and Dan Skelton’s Doyen Quest vying for favouritism. We are opting for the former who has stronger form this season after a second place in the Greatwood Gold Cup and a fourth place in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival.
Haydock’s sole live contest on Saturday will be the 7f William Hill Epic Boosts Handicap. Cosi Bello for Charlie Fellowes hasn’t raced since last July but will suit the trip and is relatively unexposed.
Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon won the Grade 1 Celebration Chase in 2023 and 2024 and will head to Sandown on Saturday hoping to emulate the great Altior in becoming a three-time winner of this contest. Second last year here to the now Champion Chaser Il Etait Temps, we think the ten-year-old can return to the winner’s enclosure despite the challenges of Thistle Ask and Solness.
The big betting heat of the day, the bet365 Gold Cup will be the last of the televised races at the weekend. Gary and Josh Moore’s Havaila won the Sussex National at Plumpton in good fashion but this will be more competitive. Tom Lacey’s Montregard shouldn’t be inconvenienced by the step up in trip and can pick up another big handicap win for owner JP McManus.