Alan Dudman's Big Race Verdict: Copperhead still the one for veterans glory

• Rain could hit Sandown on Saturday ahead of Veterans' Chase Final

• Fortescue backed this week on the Sportsbook

• Alan Dudman delivers his big race verdict for Saturday's ITV feature

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Nine stand their ground and showers forecast

It's veterans' chase day at Sandown on Saturday and from the 13 earlier this week, nine are standing their ground, which could be soft ground kissed by a winter's frost come race day. The forecast was pretty much spot on with rain earlier this week to ease it from good in the description and showers are in store for Saturday.

We focus on the 15:00 Unibet Veterans' Handicap Chase (2024 Veterans' Chase Series Final) which was staged at Warwick last term and won by Sam Brown off a mark of 147. He's a year older and wiser and is off 153 which doesn't make a lot of appeal and really does highlight how these old boys deserve a bit of clemency from the assessor. Quite frankly it's ludicrous a 13-year-old can go up 6lbs in a year.

I previewed the Veterans' Chase Final in my antepost column earlier this week and tipped Copperhead at 7/24.50, and while into 9/43.25 at one stage on the Sportsbook, he's back out to 3/14.00.

We'll deal with the contenders in opposition.

Eldorado Allen the main danger

Joe Tizzard has a good chance of a 1-2 if the betting is anything to by with Eldorado Allen as the second favourite at 7/24.50 via his route into this with second and thirds in the veterans' races including a qualifier last time with a bronze medal.

That came at Cheltenham and form that ties in with his stablemate Copperhead who was second over 2m4f and the step back to 3m up in trip will certainly be of great benefit.

His last victory was a long time ago - 2022 in the Betfair Denman Chase when rated 155, so it again puts into the spotlight the way out of kilter handicap marks - as Eldorado Allen is only 6lb lower. I wouldn't be too put off with rain, as he is very much a horse for good to soft and soft and stays. He's likely to make the running too.

It's also worth pointing out as an Alan, and an Eldorado fan, this was one of the best/worst TV series ever on the BBC (but I was hooked) with some of the worst acting and sound/directing skills you are ever likely to see and hear. I once met Jesse Birdsall (who played baddie Marcus) in a nightclub in the west end and was none too impressed with my lavish praise on the English version of Dallas.

More showbiz tales this time next year!

What to expect from last year's winner

It's quite hard to get excited about Sam Brown's chances personally at 4/15.00 with the amount of weight he has to carry, although 10lb courtesy of Chad Bament will help massively.

As a winner of the race 12 months ago, these are calmer waters compared to Newbury last time and he was a shadow of past glories in that and finished a long way down the pack in the Coral Gold Cup.

His trainer Anthony Honeyball has said in the past he wouldn't be massively in love with good ground, so the rain this week will help, so will the jockey's claim and the drop in class from this season. Personally I would want a little more juice in the price with the profile for all he won the contest a year ago.

Pacewise, he was ridden from midfield 12 months ago at Warwick by JJ Slevin and Bament is inexperienced with just two victories to his name.

Fortescue the mover on the Sportsbook

The money has come for Henry Daly's Fortescue this week from 15/28.50 into 11/26.50, so I feel I would be somewhat missing the boat in terms of a bet to win, and even the 15/28.50 now a thing of the past for an each-way punt with the three places.

One thing to note is the form of the Henry Daly stable this season, and it's much better. Daly has 23 winners from 119 runners at 19% and his chasers have been operating at 17% this far.

Fortescue was beaten 52 lengths at Ascot last time over a marathon 3m5f and while he has raced over extreme distances in the past, 3m or 3m2f looks about his best.

However, Copperhead, who has been rejuvenated in this class, beat Fortescue by 14 lengths at Aintree in leg seven of this series and I find it hard to make a case for a horse to turnaround that sort of distance with the price gone. Plus he can race a bit lazily at times and can kid you more often than not.

He was turned over in-running at 1.625/8 at Aintree behind Copperhead, but Daly, who surely has the nickname Arthur, is in much better nick this season.

Best of the rest contenders and a possible each-way play

Ask Me Early has been easy to back on the Sportsbook and has mirrored the Fortescue move in reverse out to 15/28.50 but his trainer Harry Fry, once the great young pretender, is struggling for winners with just seven all season and has last six of seven runners have performed poorly.

He'd probably want it deep too and is a prominent racer.

Thirteen-year-old Chambard was pulled up in a Sonic Hedgehog race at Cheltenham last time, and like Ask Me Early, drops into veterans company from a decent handicap race.

He did win the Becher last winter though, by 13L from 140 on very deep ground. But he's 2lb higher for Saturday and his current form is a worry, while Venetia's numbers have dipped of late and is 4-33 at 12% in the last two weeks.

Chambard has won held up and ridden prominently and was handily ridden at Aintree when winning in 2023 but was held up in last at the Cheltenham Festival yet made the running at Haydock, so I am not sure what to expect and he needs proper deep ground.

Empire Steel was third in Leg 10 at Haydock behind Cloudy Glen in one of the qualifiers and is a possible front-runner as he made all to beat Nell's Son at Kelso last winter over 2m6f in soft conditions.

He'll be fitter and sharper for his seasonal reappearance in the qualifier (his first run for 201 days) and he does go well at Kelso.

I worry about the northern horses sometimes coming down south and often getting spanked, but he's 1lb lower and if he carries on drifting on the Sportsbook from 5/16.00 to 13/27.50, he could well be approaching each-way material as he does tend to hold his form reasonably well.

Veteran's Handicap Chase Verdict

Copperhead's Aintree win at this level was as smooth as you like with the way he travelled although there was a brief point in Liverpool when Fortescue was travelling a little better just before the first fence into the straight and once Fortescue was headed, it looked as though he turned it in and downed tools.

Copperhead gave Freddie Gingell his first ever double under rules at Plumpton last May and Gingell knows the yard favourite well as he has partnered him plenty of times, so it wasn't ever in doubt Gingell was going to eschew the chance of linking up again rather than with Eldorado Allen (whom he rode at Wincanton earlier this season).

He was over 2m4f last time and returning to 3m again for Saturday is plus with his loping style and while I wouldn't want a ton of rain on Saturday, conditions will suit him well enough.

Now read more tips and previews here for Saturday's racing!