Sandown Placepot predictions: Expert picks for Saturday January 7

The first British Grade 1 race of the new season – the Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle – takes place at Sandown on Saturday and we have a Placepot perm to consider for the Surrey track. 

Sandown Tote Placepot predictions — Saturday selections

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Sandown Tote Placepot predictions — Saturday selections Race 1: Sandown 12.05pm

This is a big afternoon for Gary Moore and he can kick-start proceedings by winning this two-mile juvenile hurdle with French import Bo Zenith. The gelding beat plenty of subsequent winners in his one start at Auteuil in the spring (on very soft ground) and should be hard to topple in this contest, and this is a sphere in which his new trainer does rather well.

Selection: No 1 Bo Zenith 

Race 2: Sandown 12.40

Love Envoi is 2-2 here at Sandown and 6-7 overall in her hurdles career, the only blemish coming when she was second behind a talented sort from Willie Mullins’ yard in a Grade 1 race at Fairyhouse last spring. The Cheltenham Festival winner won a two-mile handicap here five weeks ago on her seasonal bow and should have too much for Martello Sky now going back up in trip.

Selection: No 2 Love Envoi 

Race 3: Sandown 1.15

Gemirande opened his account over fences at Southwell in late November and trainer Venetia Williams will have been encouraged to see our Jet, the runner-up that day, winning over Christmas. There’s more to come from the seven-year-old and he’s a major player, though High Stakes showed much more following wind surgery over three miles-plus at Catterick and should be ideally suited at this 2m 4f trip now for Warren Greatrex. He’s worth including.

Selections: No 5 Gemirande, No 6 High Stakes 

Race 4: Sandown 1.50

A tricky event. Grey Diamond was anything but disgraced when third at Cheltenham in November on his seasonal reappearance and that form looks handsome now. Sam Thomas’s charge surely has a prominent role to play in this field in this 1m 7½f chase. So should last month’s course-and-distance winner Corrigeen Rock for Lucinda Russell, who won well that afternoon. A 9lb rise might not necessarily ground his ambitions.

Selections: No 5 Grey Diamond, No 6 Corrigeen Rock

Race 5: Sandown 2.25

Despite the presence of smart rivals in Tahmuras and Arctic Bresil, Gary Moore’s Authorised Speed is fancied to win the feature. He was the best of the British in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in March, finishing fifth, and is already 2-2 over hurdles this term. Conditions won’t worry him and this son of Derby winner Authorized can put his turn of foot to good use under Jamie Moore. 

Selection: No 2 Authorised Speed

Race 6: Sandown 3.00

There’s a field of 18 for this Veterans’ Chase Series Final and it looks a very open contest. There must be a strong chance that last year’s winner Prime Venture has been targeted at this again and he once more raced off 133 following two spins over hurdles. Evan Williams’ runner is a player. 

Chambard won the Kim Muir at Cheltenham in March, taking his form figures for the season to 122111. Venetia Williams’ runner can be excused his comeback run at Haydock and his odds seem too much of a reaction to that no-show. He could rebound. 

Ballyandy found 2m 4f a bit sharp at Cheltenham in November on his first venture into veterans’ company, doing well therefore to finish third. Nigel Twiston-Davies’s charge should have more time to organise a challenge at this trip and all his wins over obstacles have come on soft or heavy ground.

Selections: No 4 Ballyandy, No 6 Chambard, No 10 Prime Venture

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