6.30pm Sandown Tips & Betting Preview 08/06/2017

A stayers handicap for three year olds only, it’s an intriguing field of unexposed types, a race that looks well worth visiting later in the season. Read on for our expert tips and betting preview.

IN SUMMARY: Should be a solid test at the trip with both Jukebox Jive and Utopian Dream liking to get on with things from the front. Both are capable of taking a hand in the finish, providing they don’t cut each others throats. There will be plenty of support for the Sir Michael Stoute trained Splash Around with Ryan Moore up but a five pound rise for a near four lengths beating over three furlongs less hardly makes him short price material. VEILED SECRET looks like a typical Prescott improver and should go close with the track and trip looking like it will suit. (Percy’s Word NR at 9.40am)

NR PERCY’S WORD – Sprung a 20/1 shock on debut, needed every yard of the mile and a quarter at Kempton to get on top. Usually debut winners from Simon Crisford are well supported so potentially this was a shock for connections as well. The second and third are rated 79 and 80 respectively so a mark of 84 looks fair enough on the basis of that win. He was disappointing on his turf debut last time but that was on good to firm and being by Sir Percy, this softer surface may well suit better and he looks massively overpriced at this level.

2 JUKEBOX JIVE – Has done well to get competitive so far (including winning at Wolverhampton over 12f) given his pedigree. His sire won the Irish St Leger, as well as over 1m 7f in France while his dam won the Goodwood Stakes over 2m 4f on the flat and over three miles when running over hurdles. The step up to this trip for the first time looks in his favour and with the track suiting his front running style, he could well take some catching up the straight if able to get the lead from Utopian Dream early on.

3 SPLASH AROUND – Stepped up on his maiden form when third on handicap debut at Newbury last time. By Nathanial it was no surprise to see him step up both over 1m 3f and on softer ground. His dam line is full of mile and a quarter horses so quite whether he wants this far is open for debate but he has looked very much a relentless galloper so far. Sir Michael Stoute brings his horses along slowly so he likely has more improvement in the tank but will need it after a rather harsh five pound rise in the handicap.

4 UTOPIAN DREAM – Has only been seen on the all weather so far in her career, getting off the mark at the fourth time of asking when suited by the step up in trip to an extended 1m 5f at Chelsmford last time. As a High Chaparral half sister to Brian Ellison’s smart dual purpose performer Totalize, it suggests that a little cut in the ground will be in her favour on this first attempt at turf. She made all the running in her win but she will find those tactics more difficult with Jukebox Jive in opposition. First time cheek pieces replace blinkers which is another slight question mark but the combination of John Gosden and Frankie Dettori must be respected.

5 WEFAIT – A length and a half in front of Percy’s Word when they met at Leicester but now a pound worse off. Despite breeding that suggests a mile and a quarter would be far enough for him, he was plugging away at the end of a mile and a half at Haydock last time out. This will be his first try on a surface as slow as this and with both turf runs in 2017 coming on much quicker, that is a concern.

6 SEE OF ROME – Makes his handicap debut after four outings in maidens, having looked rather one paced so far. The step up in trip could be the ticket with Derby winning sire, Pour Moi, injecting plenty of stamina into his offspring. He has been placed on good to soft so the conditions will hold no fears but he doesn’t appear to be progressing with racing and will need more faced, with some potentially decent rivals.

7 PETE SO HIGH – One of just a couple to have tried this trip already, he ended a run of near misses when getting up by a short head at Wolverhampton in January. He was too keen on his only start since – over this trip at Chelmsford – and will need to settle better if he is to get home on this stiffer track. He is another who isn’t really stepping forward with his racing, with his last five RPR’s all within five pounds and so looks likely to need more.

8 AVANTGARDIST – Showed promise on his second start at Pontefract as a juvenile but failed to improve on that in three starts on Tapeta since. He has been gelded and left Mark Johnston, joining the yard of Pat Phelan. Perhaps back on good to soft turf will allow him to show improvement, especially as he was doing his best work at the end of the mile and a quarter there so this trip may be within his compass. The market is usually the best guide to Phelan horses and it’s likely the same here but he’s hard to support otherwise.

9 VEILED SECRET – In typical Sir Mark Prescott fashion, he showed little in four maidens over seven furlongs before being stepped up to a mile and a half on his handicap debut, Sent off 9/4 favourite, he never looked comfortable on the undulations and tight turns of the Catterick circuit, jockey Luke Morris returning to say the horse was never travelling. His dam was placed over two miles on the all weather so this further step up in trip can suit and it is too soon to be writing him off now on a more conventional track.

10 PADRINHO – Showed improvement on his first go at this trip when runner up at Wetherby in mid May. Rated 65, connections could have waited for a softer contest for him that this competitive enough 0-85. Having looked like he was outstayed close home last time, he will need to make a sizeable leap forward to get involved here.