Sandown best bet: Drop in class can set Xcitations up for first season win
Grey Diamond and Sam Twiston-Davies leading on the way to victory in the Paddy's Rewards Club Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at Sandown
Sandown is offering a decent enough card for a Sunday, and Steve Jones, who runs CD Systems on Tipstrr, has seen something he likes among the six runners lining up for this short-distance chase.
14:15 Sandown: Amazing Sri Lanka Elmbridge Handicap Chase (1 mile 7 furlongs 99 yards)
The only one of these chasers to have won over these big fences before is Pam Sly’s eight-year-old, Xcitations, whose latest win came over this course and distance back in January when he beat six Class 2 handicap rivals by no less than nine lengths off a mark of 133.
On that evidence, he is of strong interest back here for a lower-graded Class 3 contest and racing off 134, a repeat of that performance will make him very hard to beat today.
That course-distance success saw him slam a group of rivals rated up to 141, which compares very favourably with today’s 124-133 opposition, especially as only one of his rivals here is rated higher than 128.
Planet Sport Bet: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Jetronic wins by more than 5 lengths, get a £5 Free Bet
It’s fair to say that the Xcitations probably wouldn’t have won quite so easily had Grey Diamond not fallen at the second-last, but that rival franked the form in any case, winning a Class 3 by more than six lengths on his next outing.
It was clear that Xcitations needed his first run back from his last break (in this month last year) before winning his next two (including over this very trip), and he again ran well for a long way on his reappearance at Kempton last month, before fading in the closing stages due to lack of full race fitness.
He is very likely to come on a good deal for that return to action, for which he has been dropped three pounds, putting him on a highly competitive mark once again to make him eligible for this 0-135 event.
A winner on all types of ground ranging from good to soft, Xcitations looks primed for a big performance and can extend his record at this venue to 2/2.
Suggested bet: Xcitations in the 14:15 at Sandown
- Tip advised by Steve Jones who runs CD Systems Daily Bargain on Tipstrr
Of the others, Paul Nicholls has a promising young prospect in Jetronic and connections must have been pleased with the four-year-old’s stable debut at Cheltenham late last month, where he finished runner-up in a small-field Class 2 novices’ chase.
It was his first outing since his final run for his previous French yard back in March and, now that the Nicholls team knows a lot more about him, there should be plenty more to come.
He wasn’t beaten far when receiving just a pound from the 146-rated winner at Cheltenham a couple of weeks ago, so it is little wonder that he heads the early market for today’s contest with an opening mark of 133.
Next best bet: Jetronic in the 14:15 at Sandown
READ MORE: Sandown racing tips: Best bets for Sunday November 12
