Saturday ITV Racing Tips: Mark Milligan with three to back at up to 12/1

• Afadil can go well in Betfair Imperial Cup

• Promising Ronda a value play in listed mares' bumper

• Varian filly the day's best bet

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Timeform Superboost

Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls has a live chance of landing the 13:50 contest at Sandown today with Belliano, a horse who has finished first or second in all three of his career starts.

Totday you can back the horse to finish in the top six at the super-boosted prices of 1/12.00 (from 4/91.44). To take advantage, just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

14:25 Sandown - Back Afadil each-way

The Betfair-sponsored Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle takes centre stage at Sandown on Saturday and is as fiercely competitive as you'd expect given the nature of the race.

Willie Mullins sends over Batman Girac, who could bid for the £100k bonus that's on offer for winning this race and the County Hurdle at Cheltenham next week.

He was shaping well last time before falling and would likely have been in the thick if things if staying upright. He should go well again, but I'm looking for one at a slightly bigger price given we have five places on the Sportsbook.

Paul Nicholls' Afadil fits the bill for me, as he's dropping down the weights and looks a well-handicapped horse based on his Scottish County Hurdle win last season, which came off the same mark as he races from here.

Freddie Gingell taking off an extra 3lb also adds to the appeal and Afadil finished a good second in this year's renewal of the Scottish County Hurdle last time.

At 10/111.00 on the Sportsbook, there's plenty of juice in his price and I'll be disappointed if the selection can't at least sneak into the first five.

15:00 Sandown - Back A Path To Ronda

We don't get many bumper races on ITV's Saturday coverage throughout the season, but this Listed Mares' event is an exception and it has a really interesting look to it.

The pair that head the market, Charisma Cat and Dream Shadow, finished second and third in a similar contest at Market Rasen last time, with the former giving the impression that she'd have won had more gone her way (shuffled back at a crucial stage and took some kickback on the inside).

Both hold strong claims, but their form is far from insurmountable and I'm more interested in the once-raced A Path To Ronda, who impressed when making a winning debut at Uttoxeter on New Year's Eve.

The stoutly-bred daughter of Getwawy showed an encouraging amount of speed given her pedigree and put things to bed quite nicely despite showing plenty of greenness.

This is clearly a step up, but Jamie Snowden's mare is sure to have derived plenty of benefit from that initial experience, and it looks significant that she's been pitched straight into this sort of company on just her second start.

15:20 Wolverhampton - Back Jabaara

Along with the excellent Sandown action, we also have coverage from Wolverhampton on ITV, and this listed 7f contest looks an ideal opportunity for the class-dropping Jabaara to make a winning return.

Roger Varian's filly was most progressive last season, taking a pair of fillies' listed races before running a fine second to the top-class Porta Fortuna in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

She backed that up by 'winning' the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood on her final start, only to be demoted for interfering with the fast-finishing second, which prompted the stewards to reverse the placings.

My feeling is that Jabaara was the best horse on the day there and was simply idling in front, and she was possibly a touch unlucky to lose the race.

This is a decent enough field for the level but not many have pretentions to being much better than listed class, while Jabaara is likely to be plying her trade in higher grades once the turf season gets underway.

She rates one of the best bets of the weekend for me.

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