Sandown Ante-Post Racing Tips: Channon's Lion to lead the Saturday challenge at 7/1

• Ombudsman clear favourite for Saturday's big Group 1

• Delacroix and Urban Lion appeals as bets with both at 7/18.00

• Alan Dudman previews the weekend on ITV with a look at the latest ante-post prices 

West Acre to lead the charge in opener at Sandown?

Saturday's Sandown Coral Eclipse card begins with traditional 5f Coral Charge and Jack Davison's She's Quality is looking for her first win of the season after two close calls at Newmarket and Haydock this term and heads the market at 11/43.75.

Rumstar, who concedes weight here, beat her at Newmarket in the Palace House and to add to the charming mix of threads, Royal Ascot form is to the table from the King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II. Rumstar was fourteenth in the former, Kerdos fifth, West Acre thirteenth, Balmoral Lady ninth - and the list goes on.

The draw will obviously play an impact and writing on Tuesday without knowing who is where is not easy.

6 (10)

West Acre (Ire)

• J: Callum Shepherd
• T: George Scott
• F:

George Scott's West Acre is one I would be interested in as the take-out runner from Royal Ascot. He was flying high out in Meydan during the winter and produced a stellar run to blitz a good field in the Group 2 Blue Point, and and while down the field in the King Charles III, it was his first run since Meydan on World Cup night and he really did make the breakthrough last year and on his day possesses a devastating turn of foot.

Again, the draw possibles and variables mean we have to sit and wait, but he's a young horse on the up and came out of taking on his elders well. It will be interesting to see how he fares from his 8/19.00 price on the Sportsbook as of Tuesday.

Urban came out of Hunt Cup with credit

Ryan Moore has been booked for Michael Bell to ride Greek Order in Sandown's 14:25 Coral Challenge, and his record over the mile around Esher is a pretty impressive 17% win and 37% placed all told. His overall record nudges elite status at Sandown with a 23% career win rate here and 40% placed, which explains why Greek Order is towards the top of the betting jungle at 11/26.50.

Although I suppose his fourth in the Royal Hunt Cup helped?

On a par claims come in the shape of Jack Channon's Urban Lion, who looks fair enough at 7/18.00 and he was fifth in the Royal Hunt Cup from stall three against stall 30 of Greek Order, so again with a max field of 17 for this, we're taking a huge chance on the draw over the mile, and come decs time with stall positions, I don't want to feel like Yehudi Menuhin felt after discovering his fiddle was split.

Urban Lion wants quick ground and wants a quick pace to aim at judged on his course and distance victory earlier in the season.

Fans of Balmacara won't need reminding of that race, as he ran a race of startling speed and aggression for six furlongs - unfortunately the race was over a mile and Urban Lion came through well off a finishing pace of 95%.

A bigger field might help him further and Channon is 9-24 at 38% as of Tuesday morning pre-racing and is a horse on the up taking into account the bare ratings.

Ombudsman strong on Sportsbook but Delacroix the forgotten horse

Great races deserve great horses, and Ombusdman produced one of the performances of the Royal meeting with a dazzling display in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes.

That Berkshire twinkle-toed sortie earned a huge 130 from Timeform to mark him down as the best older horse in Europe. He beat the admirable Anmaat by two lengths and no reason to think he won't again, and the Sportsbook isn't giving away gifts here at Evens.

As much as I love White Birch, the ground is like a geometry theorem these days and there's no point in even looking with the current weather.

4 (3)

Delacroix (Ire)

• J: Ryan Moore
• T: Aidan O'Brien, Ireland
• F:

I put up Delacroix for the Derby in my Daily Racing Multiple's column and he, in the words of Aidan O'Brien, was "taken out of it very early".

"He was badly hampered and was back in the field. His chance was over from halfway and when Ryan said what happened to him happened, then it would be difficult to win," the Ballydoyle maestro concluded.

He's back down in distance and he beat the dual Derby winner Lambourn in the Ballysax earlier in the season and oozed class in winning the Leopardstown Derby Trial by another comfortable margin. Delacroix made the running on that occasion and while we're still slightly in the dark about his best distance in terms of stretching out to 1m4f, it could turn out to be 1m2f could be optimum stuff.

Presumably Expanded's late addition to the race is for front-running duties. 

Clearly he has to go some to beat Ombudsman, but Saturday is a completely different test at a more palatable course. Really fast ground raises a concern, but not as strong as a concern for White Birch and Sosie. If those two can be taken out, he looks a decent bet at 7s which would be each-way thievery if a couple come out.

We know three-year-olds have won the last four editions with the weight concession, and seven have won since 2015 with the crowd pleaser Golden Horn.

Brief Haydock thoughts

A brief word on the Lancashire Oaks coming up on Saturday too on ITV, and bar Estrange, it does not look a great race. Estrange wouldn't want anything too quick, so as the 4/71.57 favourite, you'd have to worry about her chances of running with the current heatwave.

There are two 66/167.00 chances too in the betting in a field of seven.

The Old Newton Cup Handicap will be a chunky old betting race on the Sportsbook for sure and we have a 6/17.00 the field market with 23 entries as of Tuesday for a max field of 17 over 1m4f.

City Of Delight at 10s should be added to the "of interest" list as he's been progressive this term with two handicap wins and he looks ready for the step up to 1m4f now, as he stayed on well at both Epsom and Doncaster to win over shorter, but the shorter 1m2f was his undoing at Windsor as the winner Silawi dictated and made all in a controlled performance.

Off a mark of 91 he's in a deep field with Harry Davies already booked at 10/111.00 on the Sportsbook with four places. His trainer David Menuisier is appearing to just hit form at the right time too.

Now read more tips and previews from Betfair's team of racing writers here!