Sandown Horse Racing Tips for Saturday

The latest horse racing betting tips for Saturday’s card at Sandown from Racing Post tipster Graeme Rodway.

Saturday’s Sandown Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

13:20 Sandown - Marche d’Aligre @ 28/1
13:50 Sandown - Pic Roc @ 14/1
16:10 Sandown - Hoe Joly Smoke @ 12/1

13:20 Sandown - Marche d’Aligre @ 28/1

The bet365 Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle (13:20) kicks off a fantastic card at Sandown and there could be an upset because Marche d’Aligre is open to further improvement.

The Jamie Snowden-trained four-year-old is among the youngest in the field and showed that he has a degree of ability when following his maiden hurdle victory at Wetherby with a second in the Finale Hurdle at Chepstow over Christmas. A reproduction of that form would give him a good chance here.

Marche d’Aligre has failed to build on that in two subsequent starts, but his mark has dropped 2lb as a result and he is nicely handicapped if he can reproduce the pick of his form from early in the season.

That can’t be guaranteed, but Marche d’Aligre will be a big enough price to make it worth taking a chance on him returning to his best under Gavin Sheehan, who has ridden on all four of his starts.

13:50 Sandown - Pic Roc @ 14/1

The bet365 Josh Gifford Novices' Handicap Chase (13:50) is a cracking race and Pic Roc could bounce back to form now that he is returned to Sandown, which is a track where he has run well.

Pic Roc has finished second on both starts at this course and that includes when runner-up in the 2m4f handicap hurdle that brings a close to this card last year. The spring is the time to back him.

The selection showed lots of promise when second at Exeter in January and Newbury in February, proving that he is equally effective over fences, but he has been disappointing twice since. Those efforts came in hot races at Cheltenham and Ayr, though, and he might find this an easier test.

Ben Pauling broke a run of losers when striking with a 40-1 shot at Warwick on Thursday and fits Pic Roc with cheekpieces for the first time. The headgear might help spark the selection back to his best.

16:10 Sandown - Hoe Joly Smoke @ 12/1

The big race of the day is the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase (16:10) and the one to be on is Hoe Joly Smoke, who is 12lb wrong at the weights but might be progressive enough to defy that negative.

The Dan Skelton-trained seven-year-old is the most unexposed runner in the line up after only nine starts and he just loves Sandown. Both of his wins have come here and he is unbeaten at the track.

Those two wins have come in his last three starts and include a cosy victory over 3m last time, when he won by only a neck but appeared to do only just enough and probably won with plenty in the tank.

It goes without saying that significant improvement is needed, but this will be only his fifth start over fences and he is open to more progress on his first start beyond 3m2f. That might just prove the key.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.