Andrew Halligan 23/04/2022 – Andrew runs us through his best bets and tips for the British Jumps Finale at Sandown.
The UK’s 2022 Jumps Season comes to an end this Saturday at Sandown and we are in for some great racing including the main event, the Sandown Gold Cup.
But, before that, there are some interesting runners that I think will top up the betting balance before the Punchestown Festival next week.
Sandown 14:25 – Grade 2 Oaksey Chase – Andrew Halligan 23/04/2022
A tight four-runner race and one where nearly all are on retravel mission.
Mister Fisher is as predictable as the Irish weather and, yes, he has the class to win it, but at around 7/4 he is one I will be looking past today.
The same can be said about Saint Calvados who, according to his trainer Paul Nicholls, now needs good ground when he has shown all his best form on soft and heavy ground. Not only is that a strange decision but he is also known to bleed a lot and a horse the bleeds, will always bleed.
Nuts Well was a decent operator in his day but being in the twilight of his career it is wise to overlook him in favour of ERNE RIVER.
Currently the outsider of the field at about 9/2, he comes in here off the back of a fall at the Grand National meeting at Aintree, which can be argued was no fault of his own as he was hampered. That was a Grade 1 and was well punted prior to the off and this is easier than what he faced at Aintree.
Prior to the fall at Aintree, he racked up three wins in a row over fences and doing them in impressive fashion. Yes, he has a lot to find on ratings but being the one with more improvement in his and the rest on the decline I believe he will give them all a fright and will play a big part in the finish.
Sandown 15:00 – Grade 1 Celebration Chase – Andrew Halligan 23/04/2022
Again a poor turn out for a Grade 1 with just five running and only three have a realistic chance of winning.
But this is a great opportunity for GREANETEEN to win back-to-back renewals of this race. Last season he beat the might Altior.
His chase record over C/D is two from three, with the two being two Grade 1s. He faces Nube Negra – very much a horse who doesn’t find much off the bridle – and Sceau Royal who is a very admiral horse but might just find Greaneteen too strong here today.
You can put a line through his last run at the Dublin Racing Festival where he was last of five behind Chacun Pour Soi as he was suffering from ulcers. If he is back to his best, I think it will take a mighty performance from his rival to keep him out of the winner’s enclosure.
Sandown 15:32 – Sandown Gold Cup – Andrew Halligan 23/04/2022
Now this is a race in which we can get excited about from a betting perspective.
A race in which you can make a case for nearly all the field but there is one who I am very keen to keep on the right side of, and that is the Philip Hobbs trained MUSICAL SLAVE.
He has impressed me in his last two wins by the way he has travelled, jumped and put the race to bed with a matter of ease.
He is weighted to reverse form with the rapidly improving and Scottish Grand National winner, Win My Wings. That form is working out well and with Musical Slave having come on from that run his current price of around 8/1 is one to be extremely interested in this weekend.
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Andrew Halligan 23/04/2022
