BEN Pauling appears to have a good grip on this afternoon’s Betfair Imperial Cup at Sandown, according to the market. Two runners, two joint-favourites.

You can’t not like Bad. Second in the Gerry Feilden Hurdle at Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup meeting in December, he looked set to land a good handicap hurdle at Ascot last month, fresh back after a wind operation and cheekpieces on for the first time, but he just couldn’t get past Mothill. Or, if he did, just, at the final flight, he just gave best when Mothill battled back.

It may be that the second time back after a wind operation is the time to get him, but, one win from nine starts, he just doesn’t win as often as his talent suggests he should.

Jipcot was pitched into the Triumph Hurdle last season on his first run for Pauling, and into the Anniversary Hurdle at Aintree on his second. And after a wind operation, and after three runs over fences in the early part of this season, he went back over hurdles last time at Huntingdon – with the hood and the tongue-tie that he wore in France back on – and ran out an impressive winner.

He has to shoulder a 7lb penalty for that win though, which leaves him on a mark of 124. He would have gotten into the race off his old mark of 117, but it was still good to see him put up such a nice performance last time, back over hurdles. It was a good step into today’s race. That said, the market is on to him.

The market may have under-rated Spirit D’Aunou, mind you. It might have over-reacted to his defeat in the Betfair Hurdle last time. He was disappointing there, no question, but he was never travelling. It just wasn’t his running, for whatever reason. It may be significant that it was his first run at Newbury.

He is back at Sandown today, where he is two for two and where his trainer excels. Gary Moore has had 25 winners at Sandown in the last five seasons, he is second only to Paul Nicholls in terms of number of winners there. This season, he has had six winners from 29 runners at Sandown, a strike rate of 21% and a level-stakes profit of €13.12.

Spirit D’Aunou’s first run at Sandown was in the juveniles’ handicap hurdle on this day last year, when he stayed on well to get home by half a length from Havaila. His second was in a competitive handicap hurdle at the Tingle Creek meeting in December, when he ran out an impressive winner off a mark of 129. He only got home by three and a half lengths in the end that day, but he travelled like the most likely winner from a long way out, he moved to the front on the run to the second last flight, and he probably won with a fair bit more in hand than the bare winning margin.

The handicapper raised him by 10lb for that win to a mark of 139, and he was well beaten off that mark at Newbury, but he still has the potential to be better than that. He is only five and he has run just eight times over hurdles. There still could be more to come from him.

And five-year-olds have a very good recent record in the race. Three of the last four winners were five, and only one winner in the last 10 years was older than six. The winner Langer Dan was the only five-year-old in the race in 2021, and the two five-year-olds in the race in 2019 finished first and second.

Spirit D’Aunou is the highest-rated horse in the race, he has top weight of 12st, but Freddie Mitchell takes off 5lb, reducing his weight to 11st 9lb, which means that he is conceding 11lb or less to all but two of his rivals. He goes well on the ground and he should appreciate the return to Sandown. He could out-run his odds by a fair way.

Kotmask

Continuing the Gary Moore/Sandown theme, Kotmask could out-run his odds in the novices’ handicap chase later on the day.

The Masked Marvel gelding ran out an impressive winner of a two-mile handicap chase at Sandown in January, staying on well up the hill and leaving the impression that a step back up in trip could suit him.

He duly made that step back up in distance at Plumpton last time and he won nicely, staying on well again on the run-in to beat Scarface after making a momentum-halting mistake at the last.

He was a little unlucky not to finish closer to Blow Your Wad than he did in a competitive two-and-a-half-mile novices’ handicap chase at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day, he didn’t have a lot of racing room over the third last and second last fences on the inside rail, and he lost ground and momentum when he switched outside on the run to the last. And Blow Your Wad has enhanced the form of that race since, winning the Grade 2 Pendil Chase back at Kempton last month.

Kotmask was raised by 5lb for his latest win at Plumpton but, a six-year-old who has won three of his six chases, he has the potential to go beyond his new mark of 132. Scarface is 2lb better with him for a beating of just over a length at Plumpton, but that may not be sufficient to allow him reverse places.

He faces another worthy adversary in Golden Son, who has been put in at the top of the market after staying on well to win nicely at Kempton last time, and the form of that race was enhanced last Saturday when runner-up Heltenham won the Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury. But Kotmask is progressive, he goes well at the track and he goes well on the ground, and he could represent the value against the favourite.

Recommended

Spirit D’Aunou, 1pt each-way, 2.25 Sandown, 14/1 (generally)

Kotmask, 1pt win, 3.35 Sandown, 7/2 (generally)