Sandown Betting: Graham Cunningham on the jumps season's last hurrah

Events / Graham Cunningham / 24 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

It was all too easy last weekend as Graham Cunningham just reached for the name of his dog to tip up the Scottish National winner. Hello Bud isn't on show this week, but a host of good horses are heading to Sandown for a cracking mixed card and the RUK and betmaverick.com analyst tackles the best of the action.

King the safe option to strike a blow for the novices

Back in the 1990's Lord Oaksey was always a [1.01] chance to gaze from under his trilby on Channel 4 racing to describe what used to be known as Whitbread day as "my favourite day of the year, bar none."

I hesitate to disagree with M'Lord, but Sandown's showpiece mixed card on the last Saturday in April has never really done it for me from a punting point of view.

Granted, there is nearly £500,000 in prize money on offer, but I always find the big chase a headscratcher and assessing which of a host of good Flat horses will be primed to go after a break is another tough task.

Still, there are winners to be backed and losers to be taken on. And Kalahari King is probably the solid option in the Celebration Chase at 2.35.

Unlike some of his main rivals, Ferdy Murphy's gelding is on the rise after following his narrow Arkle defeat with a commanding success in a Grade 1 novice event at Aintree. Twist Magic is a law unto himself nowadays, while last year's winner Andreas was in trouble when he departed at Ayr last week.

The freewheeling Oumeyade could be interesting as he returns fresh from a break, but Kalahari King should be able to stalk his way into things here and his finishing kick could be decisive.

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Baloo and Church still have a bit to prove as regards the big one

Now and again you just have to admit that a handicap is too tough and that's how I feel about the bet365 Gold Cup at 3.10.

No matter which way I look at the race I keep struggling to make a truly concrete case for any one horse.

But I will put my name to a couple of nagging doubts about two leading contenders.
The first centres around the ante-post favourite Hoo La Baloo. Yes, I know he ran a cracker for third in this race last year and that Paul Nicholls has had a repeat bid in mind ever since.

However, watch the replay from last year and you will see that Hoo La Baloo lost five lengths on the principals having jumped the last upsides.

I'm not saying don't back him. I am saying the nagging doubt as to whether he truly stays suggests a bit of in-running insurance at skinny odds could be a sensible ploy if you are planning to get involved.

My other nagging concern centres around the Irish raider Church Island. Michael Hourigan's gelding will be very popular with ratings fans following his gallant second in the Irish Grand National, but he wore blinkers for the first time there and it remains to be seen if they will have the same effect again.

Add in the fact that there is no such thing as an easy race in a National and you begin to wonder whether Church Island might be a suitable candidate for a place lay with only three places up for grabs in the Betfair market.