Today's Racing Tips: Gab set to cause a 'riot with Becher heroics

• Knicker poised for more Sandown glory

• Aintree regular can nail first track triumph

• Tan-tastic Williams stayer may land finale

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Sandown, 14:25 - Back Knickerbockerglory @ 11/53.20 

The ante-post markets are much more alive to the claims of Knickerbockerglory than in this corresponding race last year when he was installed as big as 10/1 in a place when the early prices were released.

He was supported into favouritism and duly delivered an eight-length victory, beating no less than Fighting Fifth Hurdle third Nemean Lion with consummate ease following a typically enthusiastic front-running effort.

The selection's record now stands at six wins from nine starts when he has been rested for more than seven weeks, impressive figures given the class of handicap he often contests.

He returns to try and defend his crown here and there is no reason why he shouldn't go close to repeating his victory of last year given he is just 6lb higher.

Admittedly, he does face a little more pace pressure this time round, but he ran a blinder in the Lanzarote Hurdle last March when facing a contested lead and he ought to go close again here with this race surely the plan for some time.

Aintree, 14:40 - Back Gaboriot each-way @ 13/27.50

The training partnership of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero went close in this race with Gesskille two years ago and they could be poised to go one better with Gaboriot.

Their latest contender has plenty of welcome experience himself over these National fences, although he did unseat when tackling the Foxhunters' in April 2024.

That is his sole disappointment at Liverpool in three starts though, as he returned to action this autumn with a fine run in the Grand Sefton last month where he gamely chased home Colonel Harry with the blinkers restored to finish two lengths behind the winner at the line.

Gaboriot was also third in the Sefton in 2024 behind King Turgeon and was ready to line up for this event as a market leader but was stopped in his tracks as the meeting was sadly abandoned, much to the frustration of connections.

The nine-year-old has the chance to reward the patience of connections and he clearly won't mind any of the recent rainfall or the step up in trip as he was staying on grimly on both his starts in the Sefton.

Sandown, 15:35 - Back Tanganyika @ 7/24.50

It is very easy for pundits to criticise jockeys and call them out for errors of judgement.

Riders have to make split second decisions in a pressurised atmosphere and it is impossible to always make the correct call, so we ought to give them some leeway if they don't always execute their race plan to perfection.

I may be totally wrong, but I wonder if Charlie Deutsch would liked to have had the chance to change his ride on Tanganyika at Cheltenham last time after his mount faded into fifth, beaten 12 lengths by winner Marble Sands.

Deutsch is usually a pretty good judge of pace, but he made the decision to go hammer and tongs with Protektorat and Beauport racing towards the eighth fence and, after a protracted duel with those rivals, weakened out of the fight heading to the last fence, recording just the sixth best finishing speed percentage in the race.  

In fairness to Deutsch, that is the fourth time Tanganyika has been well beaten off a break in excess of 198 days - his form figures read 8555 under those circumstances - and I would hope he would be a great deal sharper for his second start today.

I am very wary of O'Connell here as he was a good winner in a deep ground staying contest at this track back in February, while Ask Brewster could have gone well in last Saturday's Newbury Gold Cup but for missing the cut by one.

However, the selection should enjoy the rigours of this handicap and it's worth noting he has topped the RaceIQ 'lengths gained jumping metric' on each of his last four chase starts, so this venue, which puts an accent on precise jumping, is likely to suit.

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