Racing Post tipster Robbie Wilders heads to Sandown for his three best bets across the cards on Friday.
2.30 Sandown - Nazalan @ 9/1
4.15 Sandown - Savvy Victory @ 9/1
4.50 Sandown - Seahouses @ 6/1
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Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.
There is a potentially shaky short-priced favourite in the Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown.
There was plenty to like about Born To Rock's debut success at Yarmouth in May, but the form is working out poorly with the next three home each being well beaten in subsequent starts, and this looks a warm race.
The horse to play against her at much bigger odds is NAZALAN for Sean Woods and Tom Marquand.
An eye-catching third having raced greenly on his debut at Nottingham in June, Nazalan built on that promising effort with a dominant front-running victory over this course and distance 12 days later.
That form is working out much better than Born To Rock’s Yarmouth win as the only two horses to race subsequently, the second and sixth home, have both scored since. With nothing to prove at the track, and the prospect of further improvement to come, Nazalan can upset the favourite.
The five horses who contest Sandown’s Listed Gala Stakes raced in the Wolferton at Royal Ascot 17 days ago and Saga fared best of the bunch in fifth.
While that was a decent effort from Saga in a warm race, he is another who is opposable at short odds and SAVVY VICTORY is the horse of most interest for Woods and Marquand again.
The formbook tells you Savvy Victory finished last of 16 and nearly 27 lengths behind Saga, but there were mitigating circumstances as he was in the process of running a big race from off the pace before almost being brought to a standstill by Checkandchallenge by the rail, with Marquand forced to ease his mount down.
It is impossible to say with certainty where Savvy Victory would have finished in relation to Saga without having his momentum halted, but I fancy he would have fought out the places with a better run through. With that in mind, he looks serious value against a horse he is rated only 1lb inferior to on BHA ratings.
The final runner to back at Sandown is the lightly raced SEAHOUSES for Ralph Beckett in the 1m6f handicap.
The son of Sea The Moon is a half-brother to last season’s prolific Group 1-winning sprinter/miler Kinross, but staying looks his game and he stepped forward markedly for a step up to this distance with a solid third to Midnight Lion at Goodwood in June, having been tapped for toe in his two other outings at Doncaster and Salisbury over 1m2f.
That Goodwood contest looked strong. The first three pulled five lengths clear of the third, who is rated 79, and Seahouses gets to race off an opening mark of 79 having recorded a Racing Post Rating of 89 there.
If he can run to that RPR again, which seems probable given his capacity for improvement as a lightly raced, well-bred horse whose family progress with age, then Seahouses should take all the beating under Rob Hornby.
2.30 Sandown - Nazalan @ 9/1
4.15 Sandown - Savvy Victory @ 9/1
4.50 Sandown - Seahouses @ 6/1
View the latest Horse Racing Odds
Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.
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