Sandown today

1:15 Virgin Bet Handicap Chase 1m 7f 119y

It’s tempting to think the key to this race is the course-and-distance event in which Gunsight Ridge beat Bun Doran, but ground conditions will be very different here, and while that pair both act on quicker ground, it brings others into the equation. I’m also not convinced the winner really has the attitude to follow up, having tended to find little in the past.

Bun Doran is capable of turning the tables, and will appreciate the better ground, but backing regressive 11-year-old handicappers is a sure way to the poorhouse, and I prefer to stick with Rikoboy, who was a selection when second to Another Crick at Wincanton on his return, and remains appealing, for all a bit of rain would not hurt his chances.

Ridden by Charlie Hammond at Wincanton, he was set too much to do, but made up plenty of ground in the straight to be beaten a length and a half, and the booking of Sam Twiston-Davies is an excellent one as he bids to go one better.

1:50 Virgin Bet Contenders Hurdle (Listed) 1m 7f 216y

The thing which strikes me about the Contenders Hurdle is that most of the runners are at least as good at two and a half miles as this trip, and backing the one specialist two-miler in the field might not be a bad ploy.

On paper, Song For Someone should win having beaten both Goshen and Guard Your Dreams in the Ascot Hurdle in December. He clearly holds that pair, and is 6lb better off with Guard Your Dreams, who turned the tables in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The problem with Song For Someone is that while he’s very hard to catch when getting out in front, he has frequently looked reluctant to set off in recent times, once when beaten by Goshen in the Kingwell Hurdle, and then when second to Guard Your Dreams at Cheltenham. I could forgive the Wincanton incident, but he again had to be ridden away from the start at Aintree next time, and repeated that at Cheltenham. I’m going to have to call it – his temperament is a problem, and it’s unwise to back him knowing that he may need to lead to win.

If he fails to jump off with purpose again here, then he will probably be gifting Global Citizen a soft lead, although as he showed when second at Haydock last time, he won’t be fazed should Goshen also push forward. He ran well at Haydock on ground which is too soft for him, and as long as there is no more rain, he is capable of getting loose against a bunch of relative stayers.

2:20 Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4f 10y

With Paul Nicholls enduring a dreadful run (since Danny Kirwan scored at 4/6 at Wincanton 10 days ago, there have been 25 runners at single figure-odds from the Ditcheat stable, and none has won), it’s hard to back Pic D’Orhy here, and the form of the race he won at Ascot last time is full of holes in any case.

That leaves the way clear for the impressive L’Homme Presse, who has looked just about the best middle-distance novice in Britain this year.

Venetia Williams has expressed some unease about running on quickish ground, but Friday morning’s showers will have taken the sting out of the surface, and this exciting gelding should bring up a four-timer without much fuss.

2:55 Virgin Bet Heroes Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 7f 98y

Jesuitique just got the better of Beauport over a shorter trip here in November and since then the pair have shown improved form, the former when winning at Haydock last time, and the latter when second to Dashel Drasher at Newbury after conceding that high-class rival a start of around eight lengths.

Both are of interest in this competitive handicap, but the step up to three miles for the first time is sure to eke further improvement from EBF Final hero Beauport, who races in the Bryan and Philippa Burrough colours made famous by Corbiere.

Beauport outstayed his rivals when winning the EBF Final here in March, and has long looked in need of three miles given he’s just a resolute galloper with no discernible change of gear, and he has often been held up in his races as in a manner which isn’t always helpful at shorter trips. I wondered if he needs soft ground to show his form, but have decided that the key thing is a test of stamina, and moving up half a mile in trip looks an overdue move. This race has been won by prospective staying chasers of the calibre of Beshabar and Topofthegame in recent times, and Beauport, a big, rangy sort is in just that mould.

I had also considered Green Book having backed him for the Lanzarote, but while it seems likely that he will stay having shown his best form at staying trips on the flat, I’m aware that I have made the argument many times that flat stayers are as likely as not to be two-milers over hurdles, and while Green Book stays two miles and five furlongs, I’m far from certain that this longer trip will be within his compass, especially in a race where stamina is sure to be at a premium.

3:30 Virgin Bet Masters Handicap Chase 3m 37y

My initial reaction when looking at this race was that Farinet would need rain, and plenty of it, but his defeat at Cheltenham in December is a potential red herring. He ran as if needing the run that day, and not like he was feeling the ground, and easily his best effort over fences for Yannick Fouin was on the fastest surface he encountered.

I’d argue that the track rather than the ground is important for Farinet, and Sandown is tailor-made for his style of running. He’s been strong at the finish on both wins over two and a half miles, and he should go well if staying the longer trip.

One who will definitely stay is Undersupervision, and he looks the value shout at a much bigger price. He had the excuse of post-race ataxia (tying up) when below his best at Cheltenham last time, and this strapping six-year-old is going to rate higher in time as he irons out the kinks in his game.

He beat a useful sort in Ronnie Bartlett’s Banbridge when winning his only start in points, and while he has only raced at Cheltenham in his chasing career, he’s not looked particularly suited to that track, and might well benefit from a change of scenery. There’s a decent handicap in him this spring, and hopefully it will be here.

Recommended

Rikoboy 1:15 Sandown – 1pt win @ 13/2 (Hills, 6/1 general)

Global Citizen 1:50 Sandown – 1pt win @ 7/1 (Bet365, Coral)

Beauport 2:55 Sandown – 2pts win @ 13/2 (general)

Undersupervision 3:30 Sandown – 1pt win @ 9/1 (Bet365, 15/2 general)