Saturday Racing Cheat Sheet: Best bets for ITV Racing at Sandown and more

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Tips Summary

Please Note: Prices quoted in table below were correct at time of each writer/tipster's column being published on Betting.Betfair.

Race	Tipster	Tip/Runner	Odds
13:45 Sandown	Katie Midwinter	Minella Yoga	5/16.00
14:05 Leicester	Alan Dudman	Prince Of India	13/27.50
14:20 Sandown	Paul Nicholls	Matterhorn	9/25.50
14:35 Haydock	Katie Midwinter	Caburn E/W	8/19.00
14:55 Sandown	Mark Milligan	Solness	9/25.50
15:30 Sandown	Sam Turner	Montregard	9/25.50

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Saturday horse racing tips and insight

13:45, Sandown - Katie Midwinter: Yoga can lift spirits in opener

Four-year-old gelding Minella Yoga has impressed so far during his career, winning three from four appearances over hurdles plus finishing third in a Cheltenham Grade Two to Maestro Conti. He remains open to showing further improvement, lightly raced and already shaping with great potential, and could be capable of landing this competitive contest under Harry Cobden.

The Paul Nicholls-trained contender won comfortably at Taunton when last seen, justifying short odds of 2/71.29, and is still unexposed making only his fifth racecourse appearance. His half-brother Ninth Titan, who once lined up in St Mark's Basilica's Prix du Jockey Club win, preferred a sounder surface and won over hurdles for Willie Mullins, and with a couple of wins on good ground already, this should perfectly suit the son of Study Of Man.

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You can read Paul Nicholls on Minella Yoga's chances here.

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14:05, Leicester - Alan Dudman: Prince can be crowned winner

A 0-105 at Leicester is like finding gold in the hills, and while the football team of the city has reached a nadir, the racecourse on Saturday will have the honour of one race on ITV.

It's a cracking handicap too over the 6f and with one runner from earlier this week in my antepost column opting for a different route rather than this race, I have diverting my gaze to Marco Botti's Prince Of India.

Botti, a streaky trainer at best in terms of form, has won with two of of his last seven runners and appears high on the hot trainers' list with 7-21 at 33% recently showing a level stakes profit of +6.37 from those winners.

Prince Of India won on Shergar Cup Day at Ascot last summer from a mark of 98 and subsequently ran a fine race at York at Listed level behind Elmonjed with slightly different tactics as at Ascot he came from a lot further back to win.

He's very much a quick ground horse and conditions will play to his strengths and while he ran no sort of race at Newmarket in the Group 3 Abernant recently and never got involved from a rear position, he is back in handicap company and can justify the market support too here.

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14:20, Sandown - Paul Nicholls: Matterhorn has a lovely chance

This race has been a happy hunting ground for me, winning three of the last six renewals. Last year was a bit of a disaster for us, when we ended up losing Pic d'Orhy at the second fence, and Gaelic Warrior won an now he's a Gold Cup winner so there you go.

Mattherhorn had a run the other day over two miles, he wants to two-and-a-half, and although he has never been two-six, I am convinced he wants it. He loves the ground, will love the track in the spring and must have a great chance because he is fresher than most of the horses in this race. He has a lovely chance.

As for the future, there is a lovely two-and-a-half mile handicap at Uttoxeter in a month's time, a £50K race that he won last year, and I presume we will have a look at that again for him.

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14:35, Haydock - Katie Midwinter: Unexposed Caburn can go well

James Tate-trained Caburn is an interesting contender under Hector Crouch having run well in Listed company at Doncaster when last seen. He was able to defy odds of 25/126.00 to place in a competitive contest won by Aramram, with Jasour in second, finishing ahead of Montassib as well as subsequent winner Myal and other talented rivals.

It was a promising performance and one from which the son of Twilight Son can improve further, upped 3lb for the effort now returning into handicap company. He's 8lb higher than his latest handicap win but is still relatively unexposed and this challenge could suit.

The four-year-old holds solid each-way claims following a promising performance, and could be able to make his presence felt in this field.

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14:55, Sandown - Mark Milligan: Solness can lower Jonbon's colours

Solness went desperately close to giving this column a winner at double-figure prices at Aintree last time and I'm siding with him again to make amends as he drops back to 2m in the Grade 1 Celebration Chase.

Joseph O'Brien's charge gave a bold front-running display in the Melling Chase and was only collared late in the day by the stronger stayer Grey Dawning, who wore him down on the run-in.

This is probably Solness' best trip and if he gets into a rhythm on the front end, particularly down the back over the railway fences, he could get plenty of these out of their comfort zones, though he may have to shake off the attentions of Thistle Ask to do so.

If the selection can get the better of that particular battle he'll have every chance of lowering the colours of Jonbon, who comes here in search of his third win in this contest having finished runner-up in it last season.

It's hard to make strong cases for the other quartet and much of this race will likely depend on who wins the outright battle up front, with my faith firmly in Solness from that perspective.

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15:30, Sandown - Sam Turner: Trip right up Montregard's street

Much has been written about the lack of quality in this year's bet365 Gold Cup, but with a plethora of quality staying handicap chases run in the last fortnight and Willie Mullins sending just one contender, there was never likely to be a huge field.

Unfortunately, that is how it has panned out, but that won't concern connections of Montregard and especially the selection's owner who bids to extend his fine run in the spring's premier staying chases.

Absent for 70 days following his smooth win at Ascot on Valentines Day, the son of Joshua Tree has the potential to throw in a shocker - three pull ups in seven starts is clear enough evidence of his inconsistency - however on his day he is extremely talented and the key to his chance may be a good break between his races.

A winner following absences of 199, 96 and 77 days, Montregard doesn't have any experience of Sandown which is a little disconcerting, however he is 3-5 in the visor and clearly goes very well right-handed on decent ground judged on his stylish Ascot win.

A 4lb rise for that success seemed very fair considering the superiority of the performance and his dosage index is one of a horse that wants extreme distances these days.

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You can read Alan Dudman's Big Race Verdict on the 15:30 here.

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Now read Paul Nicholls' season preview here.

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