talkSPORT betting tips – Best bets for Friday at Sandown
It’s Classic Trial day at Sandown on Friday and eight horses are out to advertise their Derby credentials with the ITV4 cameras in town for five live races at the Esher track.
We also have a Group 2 and Group 3 for older horses, along with a couple of other interesting handicaps. Our expert, Clive Gildon, provides his three best bets on the card.
Friday's tips
- 1.50 Sandown - Cracking Gold
- 2.25 Sandown - Okeechobee
- 3.35 Sandown - War Rooms
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1.50 Sandown - Cracking Gold
The Esher Cup is invariably a good formline and this looks a well-up-to-scratch running with interesting three-year-olds everywhere you look. Cracking Gold would appear to have as good a chance as any on paper.
Closely related to the Clive Cox yard’s Crack On Crack On, who progressed massively at three, Cracking Gold was slightly unfortunate to surrender his unbeaten record at Kempton last time.
The winner was given a canny ride from the front and represented a thriving yard at the time, while Crack On Crack On was too keen early and simply got going too late over the 7f trip.
The selection gives the impression he will raise his game for an extra furlong and a switch to the turf for a trainer who landed this with a future star back in 2013.
2.25 Sandown - Okeechobee
The Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes is another open affair but, with the benefit of an excellent recent run, Okeechobee is handed the vote for the in-form Harry Charlton with the booking of Ryan Moore taking the eye.
The majority of Okeechobee’s main opponents lack a recent outing. Israr doesn’t, but he produced a lacklustre effort in Doha 69 days ago and is best over a longer trip.
Connections of Okeechobee have had to bide their time with him as he was unsighted for 550 days after his runaway Salisbury handicap success in September 2022, but their patience was rewarded in spades at Kempton in the Magnolia Stakes 25 days ago.
The five-year-old shaped pleasingly to only give best to Group 1 winner Dubai Honour, who has a strong record when fresh, and the selection is entitled to improve a good bit for the return. Lightly raced and progressing with each run, Okeechobee is one to keep on the right side of this term.
3.35 Sandown - War Rooms
We have a short-priced favourite in Sandown's Classic Trial with bookmakers ducking the Charlie Appleby-trained Arabian Crown, who looked good at Newmarket on his final start at two.
However, taking a short price about a three-year-old first time out in a trial is riddled with danger.
Appleby had an odds-on shot defeated in the Nell Gwyn last week and he doesn’t have the strongest record in this contest.
These races often go to lower-rated horses who have made big strides over the winter and War Rooms is the value at much bigger odds for Owen Burrows.
War Rooms looked a super talent when running away with a 7f maiden at Doncaster last July before shaping as if he needed much further over the same course and distance in the Listed Flying Scotsman, failing to justify favouritism but keeping on encouragingly for third after being off the bridle for a long way. That race has worked out quite well.
The son of Churchill’s pedigree suggests he will be much more at home on decent ground over 1m2f and he should be in the conversation.
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