2.35pm Sandown Tips & Betting Preview 12/03/2016

Some interesting placed efforts to look at but just the one entry who actually won last time out so step forward Benenden (4/1) from the Michael Scudamore stable. Very lightly raced for an eight-year-old with just the seven runs under rules, and only two over fences, he is open to any amount of improvement as far as we can see, but may not even need to after hacking up by eleven lengths last time out at Musselburgh after the fall of the ill fated Mr Supreme. He did make plenty of errors that day and fell twice in just the three point to points which will rightly worry his supporters, but if he ever gets his jumping right he could be pretty decent and a rating of just 125 may eventually prove to be laughable.

Last season the Oliver Sherwood trained Financial Climate (11/1) scored at odds of 11/2 off a rating o122, and here he is again trying for a repeat, only carrying six pounds more. He hasn’t exactly been in top form lately having been pulled up last time out at Kempton but he still holds a 100% record around here (from the one run), and may come to life again this afternoon and run another big race as the handicapper finally starts to relent a little.

Denis O’Regan has been booked nice and early to ride the Victor Dartnall trained Seebright (16/1) who would have a great chance of making the frame if only he could recapture his form of 2014 where he won three on the bounce. After a year and a half or so off the track, he was unsurprisingly pulled up on his return at Kempton when obviously in need of the run, and then unseated Ian Popham at the same track when already looking beaten. Whether he can ever recapture his old form is open to debate, but he will love the track and expected better going (good would be ideal), though whether he is up to his current rating of 132 we aren’t so sure at this stage.

We can pass on a whisper for the Emma Lavelle trained Mosspark (7/1) each way, who has yet to repeat his hurdling exploits over fences with zero wins from six races, yet he does have bits and pieces of decent form if only he can get his act together. On his return after eight months off, he ran respectably enough in fifth behind Aloomomo at Newbury despite looking as if he would improve considerably for the race, and as he was runner up here last year and meets the winner on ten pounds better terms for three quarters of a length, it’s close to impossible to keep the eight-year-old off of the short list.

To end with, Bertie Boru (6/1) has to be considered if only because he is trained by Philip Hobbs who can do little wrong this season. His form this season gives him a snowballs chance in a warm place, but he is slowly slipping down the weights and is now running off a mark a pound lower than his abilities (at his best), making him a possibility for the each way thieves, though possibly only the really brave ones!