ITV Racing Tips: It’s Saturday – and you-know-who is hunting another chasing prize

Happy new year to all our ITV Saturday readers. We had lots of fun in 2024, on some huge race days. More of the same seems assured for 2025, with endless big-race showpiece occasions in front of us - not least the Betfred Derby at Epsom on Saturday, June 7.

The fresh year's first offering isn't too shabby - four from Sandown Park, and three from Wincanton. Solid National Hunt fare with a stack of the game's top names in action. Did you see Sean Bowen's win on Eaton Anne at Uttoxeter the other day? Astonishing - and he'll be lining up all being well at the Esher track, continuing his quest for the right to be called the champion jockey. Enjoy, have fun, take care.

Horse Racing Odds

Today's Horse Races

ITV Schedule;

13:50 Sandown – Read Nicky Henderson’s Weekly Unibet Blog Handicap Chase 2m 4f

14:05 Wincanton – Racing TV Handicap Chase 3m 1f

14:25 Sandown – Try Unibet's New Smartview Racecards Mares’ Hurdle 2m 4f

14:40 Wincanton – Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Handicap Chase  2m 4f

15:00 Sandown – Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase 3m

15:15 Wincanton – Wincanton Handicap Hurdle 2m 5½f

15:35 Sandown – Free Bet With Unibet's Betbuilder Rebound Handicap Hurdle 2m

Rationale;

13:50 Sandown – Hunter Legend @ 10/3

Soft ground is forecast, and that Sandown hill will be as daunting a finishing prospect as ever. No shrinking violets will be winning today - it's stamina, fortitude and of course bags of talent that's required.

Hunter Legend is a Venetia Williams-trained eight-year-old chaser who recorded a career-best last time, just a week ago, at Leicester. That was on soft ground, at this trip, and he dotted up. He's won on heavy too, typically for so many of Venetia's who seem to revel in testing conditions.

Ticks plenty of boxes then - and when you throw in his trainer's spectacular habit of hoovering up these tasty Saturday prizes, the case becomes even more compelling.

He's up a notch in class and 8lb in the handicap, though his racing weight is a handy 10st 2lb and Ned Fox's claim on top is worth 3lb. Having failed to score over hurdles he's won three of his eight chases, and this is his game all right. Irresistible claims from a yard that absolutely excels in this sphere.

14:05 Wincanton – Our Dylan @ 9/2

Kayley Woollacott trains this nine-year-old gelded son of Arc winner Dylan Thomas about 30 miles away, in Woolminstone.

Our Dylan is in a rich vein of form, having a narrow defeat and a cosy victory on his CV since reappearing for the new campaign in November after a break of some 140 days.

He's up 7lb for that last success, but amateur Joshua Newman takes off a valuable 5lb and knows the horse well. It's a great credit to connections and the horse that at nine he's in career-high form, with a revised rating of 102, and who's to say the ex-Irish trained hurdler has finished surprising us just yet?

14:25 Sandown – Dameofthecotswolds @ 4/1

A fascinating mares' Listed hurdle now, and another yard whose inmates have traditionally been better suited than most to attritional conditions underfoot.

Nigel Twiston-Davies trains at Naunton, so close to Cheltenham, and has played a prominent role in the sport for over 40 years. Son Willy is a key element these days in the yard, and other son Sam remains one of the senior and most talented jockeys in the weighing room.

All combine here with Dameofthecotswolds, racing in Nigel's own familiar colours, and this five-year-old daughter of German sire Axxos has begun to show real promise.

Last time at Doncaster five weeks ago she took a little novice hurdle emphatically on decent ground, and is unquestionably an improving type (three wins from her last four starts).

Time then for a step up in class, and though she's a bit to find with Della Casa Lunga on official figures that one rather stole a good mares' contest at Kempton over Xmas and won't perhaps be allowed as much leeway in front here, although she is understandably stepping down in trip.

It's graduation day, potentially, for this progressive youngster, trained by a gent who's lifted some of the sport's biggest prizes down the years (Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup among them). Fabulous little heat, for a nice pot of around £20k.

14:40 Wincanton – Stormy Flight @ 3/1

Another veterans' contest, with seasoned chasers going two-and-a-half miles.

Stormy Flight is trained by Jeremy Scott, about 60 miles west at Brompton Regis. The excellent Rex Dingle has the riding assignment. In a similar affair at Exeter 29 days ago the selection went down by a neck to a Hobbs/White rival that's gone in again since, at Chepstow.

He's been nudged up a pound for that, but is evidently in good nick and has a bright chance in what's undoubtedly a tricky one to be too dogmatic about. If he reproduces his Exeter run he's got every opportunity for career win number six in my book.

15:00 Sandown – Copperhead @ 10/3

A difficult puzzle - veteran chasers clash over three miles, but for a mouth-watering prize in excess of £50k.

My selection is Copperhead, crucially a course winner here at Sandown, trained by Joe Tizzard, and with the excellent claimer Freddie Gingell taking off a valuable 3lb.

The Tizzards know a thing or three about staying chasers, and also field Eldorado Allen; but I'm more interested in his stablemate. Three weeks ago Copperhead produced just about as good a performance as he ever has in failing by just a neck in one of these at Cheltenham.

That was over nearly 4f less, but the time before that, in November, he ran very well here at this trip to be a close second in another veterans' affair. He seems sure to run to his mark of 133, which has crept up slightly due to those recent, creditable placed efforts, and he acts here too.

He's won previously on soft, and hope it won't be a hindrance today. No heroic stakes for me, but a little interest nevertheless in an intriguing get together of much-respected adversaries.

15:15 Wincanton – Authentic Legacy @ 7/2

A five-year-old gelded son of Derby winner Authorized now, in the care of Gary and Josh Moore.

Authentic Legacy is very lightly-raced, having faced the starter on only half-a-dozen occasions. The last of those was 29 days ago at Sandown on soft ground (similar is forecast for today), and he was a creditable, close-up third on handicap debut.

His opening mark of 112 remains the same today, and as he travelled extremely well in Esher before stalling a little up that punishing hill, perhaps this flat track will suit him better at the business end?

If he progresses as well through the race then gets to use those inherited Classic gears late in the piece this Class 3 handicap, with its near-£10k prize, could be at his mercy.

15:35 Sandown – Oh My Johnny @ 2/1

The Hobbs/White training axis is flying right now (32% strike-rate over the last fortnight), and this might just be another for the Somerset team.

Oh My Johnny is a five-year-old gelding by Irish Derby winner Soldier Of Fortune. He fell when holding every chance in his point, had mixed fortunes in a couple of novice hurdles, then decisively took a maiden at Uttoxeter 25 days ago.

This will only be his fourth start then over timber, and further improvement is highly likely. He's got a lovely racing weight of 10st 9lb, and stable pilot Michael Nolan is in the plate.

He carries the colours of Richard Johnson Racing, a gentleman who adorned the sport for so many years as number one jockey to Philip Hobbs, a perennial runner-up to AP McCoy in the jockeys' championship, but who deservedly wore the crown himself on four occasions after AP's retirement.

West country royalty; and has attracted very strong support from Friday morning's price of around 7/2.

ITV Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.