ITV Racing Tips: Mark Milligan with three to back over the flat at Sandown

13:20 Sandown - Back Hypnotised @ 4/15.00

Sandown stages a belting card on Friday and if ever you need a reminder that the flat season is about to get back into full flow, this is it.

Each of the seven races on the card features plenty of intrigue, with lightly raced and promising types scattered throughout, while we also have some of the classiest older horses in training strutting their stuff.

The opener is a sprint handicap for three-year-olds that looks certain to throw up its share of winners this term and I'm hoping that the Juddmonte-owned Hypnotised can pick up where he left off in his juvenile season.

While not necessarily bred to excel as a sprinter, that seems to be where his future lies, and he had no problem dropping back to 5f on his final 2025 start to land a Southwell maiden that went on to throw up several subsequent winners.

An opening mark of 82 in his first handicap looks fair enough for a horse who's bred to be pretty useful and the stiff finish on this straight track ought to play to the selection's strengths.

14:25 Sandown - Back Saddadd @ 4/15.00

The first of the three Group races on the card is the Gordon Richards Stakes and, while it may not have attracted a big field, it's hard to rule out any of the quintet with certainty.

Andrew Balding's Almeric sets the standard on official ratings, and he was a winner of two of his three starts last season. His one disappointment came when down the field behind Calandagan in the Champion Stakes at Ascot, but that was probably just a bridge too far for him and the return to these calmer waters should help.

While Almeric is clearly going to be a tough nut to crack, I'm not convinced he's got that much in hand of Saddadd in form terms and Roger Varian's well-bred colt retain plenty of potential himself.

The son of Pinatubo progressed nicely last season, graduating from novice company to win good handicaps at Newbury and over this C&D. He was far from disgraced when stepping up to listed class on his final start last year, finishing third to a couple of more battle-hardened rivals on the day.

This will be just Saddadd's seventh lifetime start and I'll be amazed if he doesn't have more improvement in him this season.

15:35 Sandown - Back Raaheeb @ 10/34.33

The Mile is a fascinating contest featuring the returning Field Of Gold, but I'm going to pass on that race and head to Classic Trial for my final bet of the day.

Aidan O'Brien may have won this race last year but his overall record in it is nothing to write home about and I'm happy to take on his Action in here.

This son of Frankel appeared to relish the testing ground when second in the Futurity at Doncaster on his final two-year-old start but conditions will be very different at Sandown on Friday and the application of a first-time tongue tie hardly looks a ringing endorsement.

John & Thady Gosden's Wise Prince looks an obvious alternative but I'm heading for another once-raced sort in the shape of the impeccably-bred Raaheeb.

A full-brother to none other than the top-class pair Baaeed and Hukum, Owen Burrows' charge won on his debut over 7f at Ascot last season and that form was given a significant boost when the third bolted up at Lingfield just a couple of days ago.

With that pedigree to call on, there's every chance that Raaheeb can go right to the top and he looks the value call in an intriguing contest.

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