3.00pm Sandown Tips & Betting Preview 02/01/2016

3.00pm Sandown Saturday 2nd January

Free Tip: Creevytennant at 25/1 EW

Race Details

Race Time: 3.00pm Meeting: Sandown Day: Saturday 2nd January 2015 Full Race Name: 32RedSport.com Veterans’ Handicap Chase Final (The Final of The 2015 Veterans’ Chase Series) Class Two

Betting Preview

Some see this as a novelty race, a bit like one for greys only and the like and we can certainly see why from a punters perspective – we are all in favour of opportunities for the older horses but it does feel a little like we are trying to work out who is going backwards the least more than tracking down the likeliest winner. With the ages ranging from eleven to fourteen its like an OAP show for horses, but the one horse having a second childhood that stands out just has to be the Venetia Williams trained Aachen (11/1). Now a twelve year old, he has won his last two races at Wincanton (over three miles) and Cheltenham (over three and a quarter), so stamina is not an issue, and both wins were off of career best marks so for some reason he is actually improving during the Autumn of his career, and who is to say he cannot shrug off a new career high a whopping thirteen pounds higher than his last effort.

Meanwhile, Creevytennant (25/1) keeps on jumping off the page to us as the outsider is finally sent back over three miles after some below par efforts of late over shorter. Last time he tried this trip resulted in a pretty impressive seven length victory at Ascot when he saw off Roalco De Farges, and even though he was close to ten lengths behind Soll the time before at Exeter, he meets that rival on seven pounds better terms today, so it should be pretty close between the pair, yet our each way selection is three times the price of the David Pipe horse.

Those who noted Tullamore Dew (12/1) had other options over the weekend will appreciate that the very fact that connections have opted for this race suggests that they feel it is the easier option to win. Micky Hammond could be in for a good day by the look of things, though why they feel he can confirm the Carlisle form with Golden Chieftain on fourteen pounds worse terms is something only they have the answer to. He has won two out of three this season and is clearly having a second childhood, and good luck to him for that, yet all we can see is a place at best with the Tizzard beast seemingly having his measure.

David Pipe is another trainer we really like and although he has more than one early entry we expect him to reply on Soll (8/1) to bring home the bacon. He won a couple of races at Exeter and Newbury in April which saw his handicap mark go up accordingly, though it went up even further after a ninth of thirty nine in the Grand National which seems a little harsh. He did run surprisingly well last time out off his new mark when fourth to Highland Lodge at Aintree over three and a quarter miles, beaten less than four lengths at the line, and is another who ought to be involved in the shake up today.

To round things off, we can’t ignore anything trained by Colin Tizzard this season and he has Golden Chieftain (16/1) in here, with Brendan Powell booked to ride. He stays even further than this three miles having won over three miles three furlongs at Fontwell in November, a win which he followed with a second to Tullamore Dew (re-opposes today on a stone worse terms), beaten twelve lengths at the line staying on strongly, and although we cant really see him winning this, he will be running on late through beaten horses and may yet get in to a place.