Friday Racing Tips: Fay looks Away and gone

An intriguing day of racing lies ahead, with two excellent Grade 2 affairs to whet the appetite of jump racing fans at Sandown Park.

With the abandonments of both Exeter and Sedgefield, Sandown is backed up by all-weather meetings at Newcastle and Dundalk to complete the line-up.

Amongst our Friday fancies is one for trainer Paul Nicholls, who will be hoping to see his charge take the Grade 2 chase spoils back to DItcheat.

14:25 Sandown - Stay Away Fay @ 4/5

A Grade 1-winning novice hurdler at the Cheltenham festival, Paul Nicholls’ Stay Away Fay holds strong claims of landing his second chase victory from as many starts.

The Shantou gelding got his hurdles career off to the perfect start when displaying abundant reserves of stamina to see off Heezer Geezer at Newbury, having momentarily looked held.

Although meeting with defeat next time out at Doncaster, confidence in the horse's ability remained intact, given his next assignment was a step up to Grade 1 level at the Cheltenham Festival.

Following another stamina packed performance, belying his inexperience, Stay Away Fay was too good for his rivals at Prestbury Park and notched a Grade 1 victory in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.

Connections wasted little time in sending the gelding over the larger obstacles and he duly obliged first time out when snatching victory from the jaws of defeat at Exeter.

Having led for much of the contest and jumped slickly all appeared to be going to script, however he seemed in trouble coming to the last and looked booked for a third-place finish at best, before another fine leap at the last and his now trademark stamina-packed surge saw him get up right where it matters most.

This looks like a horse who could be heading to the very top and is taken to maintain his unbeaten start over fences.

15:35 Sandown - Immortal @ 6/4

Nicky Henderson’s gelding Immortal will be looking to finally get his head in front after three placed efforts over hurdles to date.

Whilst no match for a couple of Gary Moore inmates on his first two starts, both were promising runs despite being turned over at odds-on at Sandown.

The son of Montmartre was sent off a short price on his handicap debut last time out at Ascot and, while only managing to finish third, he did travel well for a long way in that contest before his run flattened out.

A mark of 109 does not look daunting and you would be very disappointed if he was not to get his head in front in this.

18:45 Newcastle - Ballyare @ 20/1

The Lucinda Russell team has been in sparkling form over the jumps recently and she will be hoping that run continues on the all-weather at Newcastle, where Ballyare will be looking to land the lucky last.

The son of Hot Streak can be hard to catch right given his run style and, even when tasting victory a few starts back, you would have been tearing your betting slip up after he was slowly out the gates. That didn't prevent him getting up right in the dying strides to notch his first win in over a year.

That was over 51/2f and he was stepped up to 6f for his next two assignments. The gelding cut no ice in either of those starts and it seems a wise ploy by Russell dropping him back down to the minimum distance.

Whilst the six-year-old will need luck in the run, if he hasn’t got himself too far behind you can expect to see him finishing his race off well.