Sandown hosts the feature meeting on the Saturday before Cheltenham and Keith Melrose from the Racing Post provides his best bets on the card.
3.35 Sandown
Quel Destin @ 10/1
1pt win
4.10 Sandown
Movethechains @ 13/2
1pt win
4.45 Sandown
Nocte Volatus @ 6/1
1pt win
Cobden and Nicholls to strike
Scratch at the 3.35, a race which used to be held at the Cheltenham Festival, and the most interesting from a form perspective can all be picked at.
Easy As That has not stood much racing and is now asked to peak for the second time in a fortnight, Lac De Constance jumped with no conviction at Exeter last time and No Risk Des Flos struggled on his last encounter with what times judged to be extremely testing ground.
As a result, it could be worth taking a chance on QUEL DESTIN. This horse is thrown in on his hurdles form, among the best of which was a win in a Listed race on heavy ground at this track.
His chasing career looked like it might be about to take off when he won at Lingfield in January and he did not run badly when third here a couple of weeks later.
Perhaps the quicker conditions caught him out that day, as he just looked a little short of pace after the last. Assuming he stays this far, this talented sort could spring a minor surprise.
More success for the Moores
On both starts this season, MOVETHECHAINS has shaped quite a bit better than the result.
He fared much the best of those held up in the Welsh National on his reappearance and was simply set far too much to do when second on good ground at Lingfield last time.
Deep ground is seemingly the key to this horse and he should get his conditions here.
The course is something of an unknown, but he was a minor gamble in the Masters Handicap Chase over course and distance last month before he was pulled out with conditions deemed unsuitably quick for him.
That is unlikely to be a problem here and this sort of test looks ideal for Movethechains, who remains a horse of some potential.
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Volatus to gain some timely revenge
The closing 2m4f handicap chase includes last year's one-two from the equivalent race, Foxboro and Nocte Volatus.
They are both off slightly higher marks this year, but more to the point the runner-up shaped the better 12 months ago and will have conditions much more in his favour this time.
While the majority of Foxboro's form is on good ground or thereabouts, NOCTE VOLATUS has loads of form on softer ground.
He has also been shaping with promise this season. In Premier handicaps the last twice, he has shaped as if still in form while seeming to find races of that standard just a little bit beyond him.
He drops right back into 0-130 company here and should find this a much easier task, under conditions that evidently suit him and could work even better for him than they did a year ago.
