This trainer has a 26% strike-rate at Sandown in the last 5 years and has 1 runner on Saturday

Eldorado Allen winning a Maiden Hurdle at Sandown

Despite the abandonment of Hereford, we still have five meetings to look forward to on Saturday! Our horse racing tips will include selections from Sandown, Lingfield, Ayr, Cork and Wolverhampton, with the former hosting the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle.

That feature contest will be live on ITV4 and we’ll have ITV Racing tips for all seven races. Ayr will be the other venue on terrestrial TV, with three competitive handicaps to look forward too.

While hunting through the statistics and figures for Saturday’s action, I found one that stuck out to me like a sore thumb for Sandown. This trainer has a very strong record at Sandown in recent years and he runs just one runner there on Saturday! You can find all the details about him below.

Piece of Cake!

One of the most popular trainers amongst racing fans, Fergal O’Brien has enjoyed a strong start to the season. With 68 winners from a total 334 runners, that’s a quite remarkable 20% strike-rate for the campaign thus far.

Sandown has been a venue where his runners have thrived, sending five horses to the track in 2020, with three returning to the winner’s enclosure. In the last five years, he’s kept a 26% strike-rate from 39 runners and a healthy profit margin of £25.00.

He fields a sole representative on Saturday and they’re a very tempting each-way price.

Sandown hat-trick?

Previously trained by Richard Phillips, Totterdown is a tearaway front-runner who has amassed four victories under rules thus far. Three of those came in the care of Phillips, all over hurdles, including a course and distance success over today’s distance.

He made a winning start for Fergal O’Brien back in November 2019, gaining a second course and distance success before a placed effort off a mark of 142 in a Class 2 event. He’s gone chasing in two starts this season, with his sights aimed high in non-handicap company.

He reverted hurdling on his most recent Sandown start, running below form in a Listed handicap. That effort is forgivable, however, and this is a drop in grade from that lofty assignment. Placed off a seven-pound higher rating over course and distance twelve months ago, he is fitted with first-time cheekpieces.

That should help reignite the spark and Liam Harrison’s seven-pound claim is another obvious bonus. If the new headgear does reinvigorate this ten-year-old, he’s got an excellent chance at 14/1.