ITV Racing Tips: Six LIVE on the channel for an epic jumping finale

The UK National Hunt season ends with a flourish at Sandown this afternoon, and ITV are covering four on the card, LIVE; plus two cracking flat handicaps from Leicester, then Haydock.

SIX races in all then for our entertainment, and as is customary we've had a look at each in turn and offered a view as to how things might pan out. On what's yet another stellar weekend for sport have fun, take care, and enjoy!

Horse Racing odds

Full ITV schedule;

13:45 Sandown: Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle, 2m
14:05 Leicester: King Richard III Cup Handicap, 6f
14:20 Sandown: Oaksey Chase, 2m 6.5f
14:35 Haydock: Handicap, 7f
14:55 Sandown: Celebration Chase, 1m 7.5f
15:30 Sandown: Gold Cup Handicap Chase, 3m 4.5f

Rationale;

13:45 Sandown - Minella Yoga @ 6/1

The opener for us in Esher is a red-hot handicap hurdle final, and we're paying 1/5 odds FIVE places each way.

The selection is a Paul Nicholls-trained four-year-old gelding by a French Derby winner - Minella Yoga. He's three-from-four all told, and joined Paul from Ireland after he'd made a winning start at Fairyhouse for trainer John J Nallen under the brilliant Darragh O'Keefe, in November.

He's shown gently progressive form for Ditcheat, and looks well worth a tilt at this lovely prize of around £51k. Harry Cobden is on top, as he was at Newbury at the end of December on his first start for Nicholls (beat a Henderson inmate who went on to run second in the G1 Turners Novices' Hurdle at the Festival).

Great chance for me, and if you concur you might want to consider that each way angle.

14:05 Leicester - Berkshire Whisper @ 13/2

Open-looking Class 2 6f handicap sprint, providing some welcome variety alongside Sandown's jumping tests.

Our selection is a four-year-old Dark Angel gelding, trained by Andrew Balding at Kingsclere, with Jason Watson on board (he knows the horse well).

Berkshire Whisper is three-from-10 all told, but is yet to win on turf. Possesses some smart pieces of form on the all-weather though, and also a fine effort in Listed company last May at Newbury on the grass, beaten just 4l in a field of 10 behind Appleby and O'Brien inmates.

We last saw him 22 days ago at Newcastle, coming third beaten just over 3l but breaking tardily and meeting with repeated interference in the run. He might just be something to go to war with off the same mark today, 98, given better luck en route to the jam-stick. Massive prospects for me.

Each way fans kindly note - we're paying 1/5 odds FOUR places.

14:20 Sandown - Blow Your Wad @ 7/4

Gary & Josh Moore train this eight-year-old Walk In The Park gelding, five wins from his 22 starts, and in the form of his life right now.

Blow Your Wad took a Chepstow handicap of this nature when last seen 23 days ago, defying a career-high mark of 148. He's up another 3lb today but has been in terrific order since joining the Moores from Tom Lacey's Herefordshire yard in January.

Freddie Mitchell has struck up a potent partnership with the selection and is again on top this afternoon. Prior to Chepstow he was a close-up fourth in the Ultima at HQ in March and  winner Johnnywho performed with tremendous credit at Aintree in the Grand National a couple of weeks ago.

He's well-treated by the conditions of this G2 and has a wee bit in hand on official figures concerning all his rivals. Jumped a little to his right at Chepstow, a left-handed track, and encouragingly still won.

That will be far less of a problem if repeated here at right-handed Sandown, and arriving in such great nick I believe it's his to lose.

14:35 Haydock - Khafiz @ 9/2

Our second flat foray takes us to the north-west, and another 1/5 odds FOUR places each way heat. A 7f Class 2 handicap, worth around £25k to the winner.

The Middleham yard of Ed Bethell is purring right now, with a strike-rate of 29% over the past 14 days. Today's pilot Callum Rodriguez isn't too far behind himself on 21%, and they combine with Khafiz, a four-year-old gelding by a French Derby winner.

The selection has two wins from six starts, and interestingly makes his debut for new connections this afternoon, only shipping in from Roger Varian's at the end of March.

On good ground his sire ran outstanding winner Golden Horn to 2.25l in the Arc just over a decade ago. Under similar underfoot conditions Khafiz can make a splash in this and put broad smiles upon the faces of his new owners.

He runs off 97 today and was only just touched off at Donny last backend (half-a-length) when rated 96. That was on soft, and as I said I'm thinking this sounder surface will suit beautifully.

14:55 Sandown - Thistle Ask @ 15/8

Time for the chasing speedsters to burn up this track a la Tingle Creek - and we've got one entry who might just provide this afternoon a passable impersonation of that majestic flying machine from yesteryear.

Dan Skelton's Thistle Ask tends to make every post a winning one on a going day, and on what's likely to be very decent ground might be hard to catch, fingers crossed.

The redoubtable Jonbon will look to do just that and indeed beat the selection at Ascot in January (on soft ground, though), the last time we saw Thistle Ask on the racecourse. I'd like to think he was put away for this immediately after, a richly-endowed affair in the spring, as he seems to clearly favour good ground in terms of producing his best work.

The incentive is powerful indeed - nearly £100k is the reward for taking this mouth-watering G1.

Arguably the race of the day, for me at any rate, and Harry Skelton could be quite the sight tearing around Esher looking to repel all would-be boarders.

15:30 Sandown - Montregard @ 9/2

Another highlight, as the curtain falls upon the jumping season - this marathon steeplechase that's been won by some 24 carat legends in the past.

How about the likes of Arkle, Mill House, The Dikler, Desert Orchid, Mr Frisk - just think of some of the other contests those greats of the game hoovered up, too.

The 2026 renewal looks as competitive as ever, even if perhaps we haven't got anything approaching the quality outlined above. I'm hoping however for a great run from a JP McManus-owned seven-year-old gelding by a Royal Lodge winner (Ascot G2 on the flat, 1m).

Montregard has at least got a stamina influence from the dam's side (she was a decent-level 2m 5f+ chaser, by a high-quality German middle-distance sire). The horse has a terrific six-from-15 career record to date, and arrives fresh from success at Ascot last time off 128.

He's up to the heady heights of 132 today but in the context of the race still carries a very handy racing weight of 10st 8lb. Herefordshire-based Tom Lacey trains, and Stan Sheppard rides.

Imagine Tom engineering a win in this prestigious near-£100k race for such a distinguished owner? The horse is another who seems to relish good ground, and last time was a resounding career-high. Great chance, and we're 1/5 odds FOUR places each way.

ITV Racing tips with Betfred Insights.