ITV Racing Tips: I’m Dreaming Blue on Saturday – are you?

It's not difficult to get carried away with Cheltenham thoughts at this point - just a matter of days away now - but there's brilliant live racing in the meantime courtesy of ITV to look forward to on Saturday afternoon, March 8.

Four crackers from Sandown, one from Hereford, and a couple on the flat at Wolverhampton, including the Lincoln trial; a sure sign that spring and all its riches are literally just around the corner. Let's see if we can find some to run well for us - here's our ITV Racing tips, and it all kicks in at 13:50. If you're playing, have fun.

Gold Cup Betting Odds

Cheltenham Betting Odds

Full ITV Schedule

13:50 Sandown - EBF Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m 4f
14:25 Sandown - Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 2m
15:00 Sandown - British Stallion Studs EBF National Hunt Flat Race (Listed) 2m
15:35 Sandown - Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase 3m

14:05 Hereford - Dragonbet Handicap Chase 2m

14:45 Wolverhampton - Lincoln Trial 1m
15:20 Wolverhampton - Lady Wulfruna Stakes (Listed) 7f

Rationale;

13:50 Sandown - Meetmebythesea @ 10/3

Owner JP McManus has lots of ammunition to fire in Gloucestershire next week, with several fabulous chances of adding to his impressive Cheltenham haul; but he might well warm up beautifully by taking this £45k pot with his talented novice hurdler Meetmebythesea.

Up-and-coming trainer Ben Pauling (33% strike-rate in the last fortnight) will doubtless be delighted to number JP amongst his owners, and it's a measure of his regard in the game nowadays that he's included in the ranks of those associated with the green-and-gold.

This is a step up of course for the five-year-old gelded son of a Group 2-winning stayer on the flat, but he's unbeaten in three spins over timber and this looks a logical target at this stage of his development.

It's hugely competitive, and we're paying five places each-way which you might want to keep in mind depending on how the price moves around between now and the off-time. Perhaps JP will be present to see his charge, and if I do spot him in the paddock I'll feel just a tiny bit more hopeful!

Crackerjack race to get us underway.

14:05 Hereford - Western General @ 9/4

Dorset trainers are out in force today and here's another - Joe Tizzard, son of the mighty Colin, and a very fine jump jockey himself back in the day (champion conditional, big successes at Cheltenham, Aintree etc, & 700 career winners).

Western General is a seven-year-old gelding who sluiced up in career-best order last time at Wincanton three weeks ago. The assessor had had his/her say with a 10lb hike and today is a lift to a Class 3 handicap; but this is a promising type who's prospered since having a wind op last spring.

In four runs since reappearing in October he's won two, with the last being easily the most impressive and comprehensive. There's something about the Tizzards and chasers, not necessarily at this 2m trip, but they excel at handling them. Aged seven Western General has plenty of time to carve a lovely little niche out for himself, and he's made a grand start at doing just that.

14:25 Sandown - Knickerbockerglory each-way @ 11/1

This is another Betfred five places each-way heat, and I'm certainly going to take advantage of that.

Another tempting prize (£51k) is up for grabs in this, the Imperial Cup, a red-hot handicap hurdle. Most of the big yards are represented, and I'm siding with Dan Skelton's Knickerbockerglory.

The nine-year-old gelding is by Fame And Glory, a classy stayer on the flat for Ballydoyle over a decade ago. He beat Nemean Lion readily here at this trip in early December and subsequently ran third to Secret Squirrel at Windsor under a 7lb penalty.

Some horses have seemed unsuited by Windsor's quirky layout since NH racing returned to the venue, and he might conceivably have been one of them. In any event it was a very solid effort and this will be only his third spin of the campaign.

His new mark of 139 remains unchanged but that ability to act and indeed win here is priceless - and tell me a better stable at readying one for a tilt at a big handicap? I'll wait ...

Seven career wins from 19 outings is outstanding, he's a winner over fences and of a bumper too, and is a fine each-way prospect in my book. Harry Skelton, who else, is doing the steering.

14:45 Wolverhampton - Kingdom Come @ 4/1

Flat action on the Tapeta at Wolverhampton now, and a real path of least resistance selection. Top-notch Lambourn trainer, Group 1-winning jockey taking the sport by storm, and an experienced handicapper who won this very race last year (under the same pilot).

Let's fill in the blanks - Arc-winner Rossa Ryan rides six-year-old Kingman gelding Kingdom Come for trainer Clive Cox, and the horse is up just 2lb compared to last year's winning mark.

It's a fiercely competitive affair of course, and expect a finish of heads and necks. A mid-div draw in the six box gives Rossa options, and while it's not one for any heroic stakes it's lovely to see some good quality handicappers chasing a decent Saturday pot (£25k) outside of the flat season proper.

15:00 Sandown - Supreme Malinas @ 9/2

The Fates have decreed that I'm landing on another Team Skelton entry in this bumper - a five-year-old mare who won a point before performing creditably in three National Hunt flat races, winning one, and being placed in the other two.

Supreme Malinas  finished on the heels of winner Idaho Sun in those two placed spins and Harry Fry's charge has an each-way shout at least in the Champion Bumper next week at Prestbury Park.

The Skeltons had a very impressive winner in this sphere at Huntingdon the other day and can invariably be relied upon to be highly-competitive. Dan's brother Harry is again on top.

15:20 Wolverhampton - Al Shabab Storm @ 4/1

A 7f Listed race, the Lady Wulfruna, commemorating a Mercian noblewoman who lived over a thousand years ago and who is immortalised courtesy of a statue outside St Peter's Church in Wolverhampton.

Al Shabab Storm is a four-year-old gelding by Advertise that has just joined trainer Marco Botti in Newmarket from Andrew Balding's yard at Kingsclere in Hampshire.

New connections look to strike with this four-wins-from-12-starts campaigner who is admirably consistent and is fairly well treated by the race conditions, with only perhaps the likely favourite Jabaara theoretically more advantageously placed.

Neither have run for some time (175 days for Al Shabab Storm, and 220 for Jabaara), and he must overcome a mark of 110. If he's fit and well however he's got a bright chance for me in a heat short (ish) on numbers but hock-deep in intrigue.

I rate course winner Witch Hunter a big danger, especially after a pleasing run the other day at Lingfield, and he might be a nice price, too.

15:35 Sandown - Dreaming Blue @ 5/2

Staying chasers take centre stage now, and I'm with a Dorset-based eight-year-old Showcasing gelding who's been in career-high order since really breaking through last spring.

Dreaming Blue is up 2lb for a terrific second, beaten 2.75l, to O'Connell 35 days ago in a slightly higher grade on this course. That race was worth twice as much to the winner as this one, and anything wanting today's prize surely has to go through Anthony Honeyball's warrior to take it.

He's won six races from 31 under rules and has proved to be a considerably better fencer than hurdler. This looks a totally logical step after running so well here the last day and he's surely the one they've all got to beat.

ITV Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.