Saturday Racing Tips: Master of his trade Tony Calvin has a 40/1 bet in Sandown feature

• Sandown's NH card the highlight on Saturday

• Tony has two fresh tips to go with 14/1 ante-post bet

• A chance taken on 40/1 shot in bet365 Gold Cup

Sandown lost their Flat card due to unsafe ground on Friday morning (they got 12mm of rain on Thursday) but they have been selectively watering their jumps tracks, primarily the chase course, since Monday, would you believe it.

They even repeated it to the tune of 3mm in some areas on Thursday, so that wouldn't have necessarily pleased connections of the horses that wanted ground as quick as is allowed these days.

The course has yet to update their jumps ground for the weekend but Friday and Saturday look warm, largely dry days, so they may still get their wish.

Case still stands for 14/1 ante-post tip

Sandown, 13:05
Tony's ante-post tip: Arqoob to Win @ 14/1

That is good news for my 14/1 ante-post selection Arqoob in the opener at 13:05 but what certainly isn't is that the field has held up tremendously well from the five-day stage, and literally every horse I feared on Tuesday is rocking up.

You may get some 14/1+ and then some of the exchange now, while each-way punters are now getting five places on the Sportsbook.

I don't feel the need to press up personally but I am certainly not putting you off, especially as the form of the Lucy Wadham yard has seemingly turned a corner with the successes of Scene One and Regarding Ruth at Warwick on Thursday.

The case for him still stands, obviously.

Arqoob is a 93-rated Flat handicapper who has put up some of his better efforts at this track - he has won one from four here, and he has never been beaten more than 4 ½ lengths - so a hurdles mark of 114 is ripe for exploiting if he can get his act together.

And his second on soft ground at Newbury last time suggests he is doing so.

I mention the going that day as he had previously shown a preference for better ground - which he surely will get here - and the form of that Newbury run was given a boost when the winner, Russian Ruler, won at Kempton under a penalty in a novices' hurdle on Monday night.

Hoping Sergeant can take commanding role

Sandown, 13:05
Tony's tip: Sergeant Dancer, each-way, five places @ 14/1

If he wins, happy days, but I am going to look elsewhere for a second dart - Joe Dadancer could have been the one but Ben Pauling's horses look a touch out of sorts to me - and hopefully I have hit the bullseye with Sergeant Wilson.

Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies won this race in 2018 for the owners and Sergeant Wilson has been a little disappointing over hurdles so far considering the promise of his impressive bumper victory, his only run in that sphere, last March.

But he is getting the hang of things slowly since a hood has been fitted, winning at Fakenham and then finishing a neck second at Doncaster last time in a race that produced a good speed figure.

Sam Twiston-Davies would like to have that ride again too, as he should have won, perhaps making too much of his mount from the front and looking messy in the finish (apparently he dropped his reins), and the first and third have run well in defeat in competitive races since, notably the neck third, Mr Freedom, fifth in the Boodles and unfortunate not to get a lot closer there.

If he can be ridden a bit more conservatively on this stiffer track, a mark of 113 underplays his talent and he is worth a bet at 14/1 each-way, five places, with the Sportsbook.

Personally taking on Jonbon in Celebration Chase

Sandown, 13:40

I have personally laid Jonbon to small money at 2.3611/8 and below in the Celebration Chase at 13:40 - he ranges from 11/10 to 5/4 with the fixed-odds firms, which seems silly-short to me - as you have three very live ones running for you in the shape of Greaneteen, Captain Guinness and Editeur De Gite, all 160+ chasers, and Funambule Sivola isn't a million either. In fact, the latter is only 3lb shy of the 159-rated Jonbon on the official figures.

I have nothing against the novice Jonbon, who clearly has the potential to rate a lot higher, bar his price. He wouldn't massively appeal to me at 7/4, in truth.

However, I am not effectively tipping at odds-on in this column by suggesting you lay Jonbon too - especially as he is edging towards 6/4 on the exchange now - but that is how I have played it. And if he shortens further then I will do so again.

Take 40/1 Court to Master his rivals

Sandown, 14:15
Tony's tip: Court Master, each-way, six places @ 40/1

It wouldn't surprise me if Nicky Henderson had more joy with 10/1 chance Fantastic Lady in the Oaksey Chase at 14:50 or with Theatre Glory in the non-televised Grade 2 Select Hurdle at 16:00, but the handicaps interest me more.

That's actually not true as the 2m4f novices' handicap chase at 15:25 looked a nasty little contest, but you feel obliged to have a bet in the effective season-ending bet365 Gold Cup at 14:15.

I wouldn't deter you if you wanted to ensure you didn't lose if Kitty's Light wins - 6lb well in after his Scottish National win, he has everything going for him, including a third in this race last year when similarly backing up from Ayr - so he is a fair enough price at 7/2+ on the exchange.

I may actually do that myself but I am very keen on Court Master at 40/1 each-way, six places, with the Sportsbook.

Court Master was pulled out of Friday's Highland National at Perth due to the going, which was perhaps a touch curious, and connections have decided to come here to race from 7lb out of the handicap instead of carrying top weight on softening ground in Scotland.

Hopefully, 7lb claimer Beau Morgan can negate that to a certain extent - he has an 18 per cent strike rate this season, which is very fair - as Court Master is interesting.

We haven't seen him since June 2022 and he missed an intended engagement at Taunton last month but he has an excellent record when fresh - he won first time out in 2019 and 2020 (after breaks of 248 and 250 days respectively) , as well as bagging other victories off shorter absences, and he has had yet another wind op.

That is his fifth, but in his first starts immediately after the previous four breathing tweaks he won twice, and finished second and third on the other occasions, and drying ground will be in his favour.

He stays well, as evidenced by his fourth in the Eider last year, and I think he has been dismissed in the market simply because he is 7lb wrong. He has a lot more going for him than 40/1 suggests. The wind op and record when fresh look real punting angles here.

I was also going to chuck a few quid on Broken Halo at 33/1+ on the exchange. In fact, I will but I will stop short of putting him up as a tip.

No bets on the Flat

The going at Leicester is currently heavy but it may actually ride deeper - there was a recent meeting there which one time-based analysis called the deepest ground he has recorded at any track in recent years - and there is another 5mm+ due through Saturday as well.

ITV show a 1m handicap from there at 15:05 but betting in that kind of ground is just a complete no-no. The going stick reading is currently 3.8, and even some confirmed slop merchants would turn their nose up at that.

There is also a 7f handicap from Haydock at 15:45 but I will just stick to the jumps today.

Good luck.

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