Bet 365 Gold Cup Big Race Verdict: Chaser fits the age bracket for a big Sandown performance at 13/2

Four places on the Sportsbook and a defending champ back

Decent going in store for the final jumps' swansong and the Sandown Bet365 Gold Cup at 15:30, and with good to firm in places lying in wait, conditions over 3m5f will be more cricket season than football.

At the time of writing we have 14 runners and four places on the Betfair Sportsbook.

It's a race that perhaps lacks the pizazz from years gone by and a turnout of 14 is rather disappointing for a showpiece race at a Saturday track.

The Sportsbook could not be anymore open with Havaila, In d'Or and Montregard all at 9/25.50, while last year's winner Resplendent Grey into 17/29.50.

Resplendent Grey's victory 12 months ago came on good ground from a mark of 142 with the first-time cheekpieces and had enough resolve to fight off not one but four Willie Mullins horses in behind in second, third, fourth and fifth.

He's a 10lb higher horse now and only one Mullins' contender to deal with. He is still on the right side of the age group though, as the race has gone to either a seven-year-old or eight-year-old since 2017.

Has Havila got the class to win?

Olly Murphy and Sean Bowen teamed up with that famous Resplendent Grey win last year with just a tick over ten stone in terms of weight - now he's off 12 and the hunter becomes the hunted.

Murphy does retain a spot on the hot trainers' list going into Saturday with 20-79 at 25% but with so much weight and a heavy defeat in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival, it is quite hard to part with cash on the basis of his work this term.

Training duo Gary and Josh Moore, presumably Josh brings the fun to that partnership, have a big player in Havaila, and those that backed Mondo Man for the Betfair Imperial Cup from the same camp had not a jot of worry when he bolted up in March.

Mondo Man had previously hosed up at Plumpton, and Havaila follows that Sussex to Esher route as he was impressive landing the Sussex National upped in distance and travelled with ease. That along with Newbury's 7L triumph prior, and he is very much the form horse with good ground victories.

Since the hood was removed he has found a second leg, although it might be more to do with the form of Gary Moore at the time of the two wins, but once more the stable winners are thin as they are 0-19 in the last two weeks.

It remains a race that has eluded the Moores, and Havaila does have a tiny bit to find on Timeform figures with a rating of 159, and as an exuberant type, will he be able to handle a better class of opponent?

Montregard the main pick with the trip to suit

Montregard was a Saturday winner for the column winning the Ascot Betfair Swinley Handicap Chase back in February and that gave a strong hint there could be more to come over extreme distances.

He won over 3m at Ascot then, and his last two runs at that Berkshire course have been two of his higher performances runs chiming in with Timeform ratings of the race at 131 (win) and 130 (second).

His trainer Tom Lacey is 4-13 at 31% coming into Saturday's fixture and he still remains progressive especially given some good ground.

Key here is both conditions and trip as he looks sure to suit the 3m5f on offer and he was a potential runner for the Scottish Grand National last weekend, but the rain scuppered that plan and while not as deep in terms of testing the stamina resolve, he's handicapped to win a race from 132.

Do we have an each-way pick?

Neil Mulholland's Transmission at 16/117.00 appeals with the four places on offer although he does have nine lengths to find with Havaila from the Sussex National run and watching the replay again of that race, the way Havaila made up the ground so easily from a similar position to Transmission, it is hard to envisage him turning around the form.

The finishing speed at 99% showed it was far from a dawdle too at Plumpton.

I don't like the two old guns here Our Power and Gabbys Cross, but fellow veteran Certainly Red finished fourth in this in 2024 (Nic Rockett was third) and ran a blinder last time at Sandown over 3m 49 days ago, and that was his first outing for 455 days.

Now he could bounce, and at his age it is a worry. But his Timeform rating and previous Sandown form gives him an outside chance and he is still clinging onto a TF rating of 161.

There would be worse 33/134.00 shots around on the day.

Ask Brewster improved for the trainer switch from Evan to wife Cath for a victory at Cheltenham in the Kim Muir for a shock 22/1 win over Road To Home of Mullins and both return to renew their personal battle.

Conditions look ripe for Ask Brewster, as he ran in the Betfair Exchange London National Handicap Chase behind Sue Smith's smart O'Connell during the winter at Sandown, but the going was against him and he has enough form on good to firm to suggest the faster ground won't faze him.

I am perhaps a little too worried how much of a hard race he would have faced to win at Cheltenham.

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