7.40pm Sandown Tips & Betting Preview 26/07/2017

With not one runner a winner last time and no course winners either this race looks very competitive despite the small field, and with only eight pounds covering all the runners we could be in for an exciting contest. Read on for our race preview and selection for the 7.40pm at Sandown tonight.

IN SUMMARY: If SULTAN BEYBARS improves again as expected then he will take all the catching here and is fully expected to make all the running and never see another horse.  Scottish Glen could surprise them all at the age of elven and run him closest in second.

1 SCOTTISH GLEN – No spring chicken at the age of eleven, Pat Chamings’ gelding has own eleven of his fifty-one starts but none since September 2015 leaving him with a lot to prove this evening. Despite his age he will still need a career best to win off his current handicap mark and he didn’t run that badly last time out when a length and three quarters fourth to Easy Tiger at Leicester over this trip, and off a pound lower here he may not be the outsider some pundits will suggest.

2 DUTCH UNCLE – The Qatar Racing owned gelding hasn’t won since scoring at Wolverhampton in February when trained by Ed Dunlop, and will have his third start for Robert Cowell here. Thrown in to Group One company in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot he unsurprisingly finished last at odds of 200/1 and followed that with a disappointing thirteenth of eighteen at Newmarket in a Class Two handicap which was below expectations. He is still forced to carry a pound more than his highest winning mark, and needs to show a little more before being recommended despite the slight drop in class today.

3 THOMAS CRANMER – Mark Johnston has his horses in good form with twenty-one winners from their last ninety-eight runners for a 21% strike rate, and the son of hard Spun is dropping in class after three unsuccessful runs in class two handicaps at Newmarket, Ascot, and Thirsk. He hasn’t covered himself in glory in any of those starts with defeats by sixteen lengths, thirty-eight lengths, and eight lengths, but he has been dropped another two pounds here and has every chance if they can coax him back to his best.

4 PROFESSOR – First time cheekpieces for Michael Attwater’s gelding who has raced thirty-eight times now for six successes, two of them over this trip and the others over six furlongs. Now a seven-year-old, he has won off ratings as high as 111 and races today off just 82 so has every chance if the headgear rekindles his enthusiasm, but that is anything but guaranteed. Last time out he didn’t run that badly to finish two and a quarter lengths eighth to Human Nature at Kempton, and as he hasn’t been beaten more than five lengths in his last six races he may have a better chance than his odds imply.

5 SULTAN BAYBARS – With seven winners from thirty-eight runners (18%) in the last fourteen days the Roger Varian horses continue in good heart, and after a good second to Mojito over course and distance last time out he seems sure to be popular with the punters. He tried to make all the running that day and kept on well once passed by the winner to hold on for second with some decent horses in behind. Put up a pound for that effort, Silvestre de Sousa keeps the ride on the three-year-old who has more improvement to come and will take some catching here.

6 FOX TROTTER – Loves this trip and will love the bit of cut he seems sure to get this evening which saw his best recent run when beaten ahead by Goring at Chepstow back in June. It needs to be noted that was a Class Four so this will be tougher, and although he has been dropped two pounds for a poor sixth of eighteen at Newmarket last time out, that was a far better race than this and he is not without a shout and can be a serious threat off this mark for trainer Brian Meehan.