Friday and Saturday Antepost Tips: Back a 14/1 outsider for Sandown to oppose Mullins

• ITV to cover Sandown on Friday and Saturday and key races are priced up on the Sportsbook

• A trio of Flat selections include Arabian Crown for Charlie Appleby

• Alan Dudman tips a 14/115.00 each-way pick for the Bet365 Gold Cup on Saturday 

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Sandown on ITV for Friday and Saturday

It is finally the swansong as Willie Mullins achieves near perfection in life - or should do with the amount of entries (a whopping 38) he has for Saturday while Friday's Flat card comprising of the Esher Cup, Gordon Richards Stakes, Classic Trial and the Bet365 Mile are early season particular highlights.

We will have to monitor the weather as a further update with rain at the track on Wednesday morning, although not as much as anticipated with 10mm predicted with track getting just over half of that. 

Esher Cup selection for Beckett has an opening mark of 91

Jockey bookings are mostly in place for Friday's Esher Cup - traditionally a decent handicap for three-year-olds over 1m and eight of the 15 entries hold ratings of 90 and over.

It's clear as day that Andrew Balding has hit his straps early, in particular with some of the big races and Oisin Murphy is booked for the well-bred The Lost King. He's a winner of a novice as a juvenile and pitches into a handicap for the first time from a mark of 90 and you feel, like quite a few in the race, have strong hands to play this summer.

Dividend is very much the "now horse" for Dr Newland and Jamie Insole with two wins from Southwell on the All-Weather and that fitness has prompted the layers on the Sportsbook to take no chances with his 3/14.00 price as favourite. But it may sound harsh, I'd be disappointed if a runner from one of the top stables didn't have something just as progressive or more.

Ralph Beckett has two entries with Brave Mission and Seraph Gabriel at 9/25.50 and 8/19.00 respectively and the former looks more the bet for the race at this stage. Presumably Serpah Gabriel is in there in case of the rain, so all bases covered with those two from the yard.

Notebooks ahoy with Brave Mission from his debut at Newbury last term - over an inadequate 6f but shaped with talent was noted, but a rawness and greenness that masked a good run.

He improved, hardly a surprise, for the step up to 7f with a runner-up spot to John Gosden's Chancellor before putting his experience to good use to win at Kempton.

He looked more the polished article with an electrifying burst wide outside - clocking a couple of impressive final sectionals at 11.12 and 11.38 seconds and looked different class. He was eased down and it could be starting to click.

The 1m looks ripe for him and Rossa Ryan is booked for both at this stage, but Seraph Gabriel was turned over at Redcar as a juvenile and the price reflects the chances.

Arabian Crown won on the card 12 months ago 

A tricky punting conundrum for the 14:25 as on Tuesday with the betting bar Witch Hunter - who is priced at 25/126.00 on the Sportsbook, chances can be given to most.

Charlie Appleby's pair are Ancient Wisdom and Arabian Crown, and while glimpses of Arabian Crown have been fleeting, he has to be under serious consideration here.

Arabian Crown took the Classic Trial on the card 12 months ago on good to soft ground with a quicksilver start and front-running performance to win by over 3L.

That was a performance of searing purity, and his relentless galloping style looked made for Sandown that day as the Esher venue is so often the front-runners playground.

The 5s looks a big price to me, and all I can think of as a negative is that he's a horse whose best has come with a bit of cut. Put simply he's likely to have more pace for this than his stablemate Ancient Wisdom who has tried 1m5f in his career, and I would envisage him as more of a globetrotter as he has raced in Germany previously.

Arabian Crown disappointed in Meydan when last seen 55 days ago, but that was over 1m4f and he's back down to 1m2f with what could be his best trip.

Lead Artist another potential front-runner on the day

Some really good form lines are present for the 15:00 Bet365 Mile with three horses in here rated at 116. Tamfana is one of those and his trainer David Menuisier has started the season well, but this will be tough under a penalty for a Group 1 win last term.

The Gosdens - John and Thaddeus, have Lead Artist entered and this could be a prep for the Lockinge next month and he progressed very well from his debut second to earn wins at York, Goodwood and Newmarket. Crucially, his victory at Goodwood came on genuine fast ground (given by Timeform as "firm").

Lead Artist made the running that day and coped with the hottest part of the race in the early part too, and while he tried further subsequently, on the Goodwood run, he looks a miler. He chanced his arm out in Bahrain for the riches over 1m2f, but this looks his best trip.

Kieran Shoemark, often criticised last year in big races, is riding with a lot more confidence and the selection is another for Sandown with the old school optics - ie a front-runner with form on decent ground. 

Gaelic Warrior has two entries at Sandown on Saturday

On with Saturday and the UK training brethren at least have a chance of some prize money in the opening 13:50 Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle as Willie Mullins hasn't got a horse for it amongst his 300 inmates. There are four places on the Sportsbook at the time of filing for the race, but it looks too much of a minefield.

I like St Pancras as a horse for Toby Lawes and he should be at home on good ground and as a Scottish Triumph Hurdle winner and Stratford novice scorer last time, he looks on a fair enough mark. However, novices chasing a big pot in a large field could mean any amount of improvement to come and it's one I can sit out.

The Mullins heavy artillery comes out for the Oaksey Chase at 14:25 with three of the top four in the betting from Closutton.

Whether you can trust Gaelic Warrior totally here is the question as the 2/13.00 favourite. On his Arkle win last term, you'd want a serious attachment to the horse, but it was an odd campaign with two defeats in the winter behind Solness over 2m1f before a zinger of a display to win at Aintree over 3m1f.

He was given a beautiful waiting ride from Patrick Mullins in Liverpool and rated 170, he'd be one of the highest rated in recent seasons to appear in this race. I like Le Patron, but since Newbury early in the jumps' season, he has been poor although there is a good fencer in there but taking on the likes of Gaelic Warrior is a different ball game.

Like most of the Mullins' camp, multiple entries are the norm which is a nice reprise of the Cheltenham build-ups with the endless question of what race they will go to?

Gaelic Warrior has an entry in the Celebration Chase too so it's an easy one to sit out.

Bet365 Gold Cup 14/1 pick for King 

It doesn't get any easier with the feature Bet365 Gold Cup - always a personal highlight for me as my favourite jumps' horse Tidal Bay won this in a canter in 2012 to cap a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes with some elite Paul Nicholls training.

Lombron was a horse I was interesting in for Ayr for Mullins but he didn't make the trip as I thought he was worth a long shot at staying, but alas, he's entered in the Josh Gifford Novice on the card over shorter. Where he runs? Who knows.

The Doyen Chief represents Alan King and days gone by when King was a force over the jumps and he won this twice in 2019 and 2021 with Talkischeap and Potterman.

Firstly, I think the ground will be a major factor here and he wouldn't mind genuine good or with some cut, in fact the trainer has said in the past that some cut suits him. Good to soft wouldn't be a problem, neither good on his recent runs. 

He should have a perfect run of three wins next to his name as he ought to have won at Taunton in February, but he made no mistake with wins at Kempton and Warwick.

There is a question mark of the trip for one that travels well, and at the start of the season King did see him as a three-miler.

From 137 he needs a huge chunk of improvement as the top rated here are Grangeclare West 168 and Minella Cocooner 155 - who both ran in the Grand National. Whether they both run I doubt but you never quite know with Mullins.

But I'll take a chance on the The Doyen Chief, who needs to go right-handed and is a good jumper and I do think he's a little better than his current mark.

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