Sandown’s Eclipse meeting begins on Friday with seven competitive races to find the winners from. GG tipster Joe Napier has picked out four best bets, including in the trio of Listed contests.
3.00 Sandown – Dragon Stakes (Listed)
Five of this eight-strong field ran at Royal Ascot, with Staya and Rogue Supremacy both respected off the back of their efforts, the latter having got no run when down the field in the Windsor Castle Stakes. However, preference is for the only once-raced runner in the field in LEBRON POWER, who looks interesting for Richard Hannon.
The daughter of Starman won at Windsor the Monday after the royal meeting concluded, breaking quickly and responding well to Sean Levey’s urges. That track has favoured front-runners at its meetings this season, but it was a likeable performance.
Only one of her rivals got close, and that was at the end of the 6f trip. She did not look shy of pace though, so should be able to cope with this drop back to the minimum distance, and with the form standard not set massively high by those to have raced in Pattern company, she could be the one.
3.35 Sandown – Battaash Handicap
The expensive purchase KASSAYA is extremely well-bred, being a half-sister to 2023 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean and appeals as a filly who could well prove Group class as yet. As a result, she is worth chancing even after a mammoth 380-day layoff.
Narrowly beaten on soft ground on her debut at Salisbury, she made swift amends at Nottingham, with the third that day going on to be fourth next time out in last season’s Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, and is now rated 87. The second also reached that rating as a juvenile and Kassaya beat them comfortably.
She was backed down to favouritism for the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes as a result, but got no luck in running before finishing mid-pack. She would probably have got significantly closer without winning, so a mark of 88 may well prove below her standing come this season’s end.
4.10 Sandown – Davies Insurance Solutions Gala Stakes (Listed)
Windlord could well get back on track now he is relieved of pacemaking suited for Field Of Gold, but no three-year-old has won this race since 2007, so while the older brigade look shy of convincing form, one of them may well prove too good for their younger rival.
Checkandchallenge has generally been running well and can be forgiven his midfield effort at Royal Ascot, but he has never looked a natural at this trip. Preference instead is for CAVIAR HEIGHTS, an easy Listed winner at Newmarket last season, who is particularly interesting here on his first run for William Haggas.
Haggas will be the four-year-old’s third trainer, but the son of Sea The Stars ran well on his debut for Karl Burke last term before scoring on his second run of 2024. His form tailed off in Group company afterwards, but he ended up carrying a winner’s penalty in further Listed races which turned out to contain high-class rivals come the end of the campaign. He ran respectably given those circumstances and this may prove significantly easier.
4.45 Sandown – Coral Marathon (Listed)
Trueshan may well be an unlikely runner given there is a lack of significant rain in the forecast ahead of Friday. If he does, there is enough good ground form in his book for he and fellow old-stager Coltrane to be thereabouts, as while neither is as talented as at their peak, they are consistent at higher levels than this.
There may well be one to take them on with though in TERM OF ENDEARMENT, another recent Haggas acquisition. She has already has two runs for the yard, when seventh in the Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup and then beaten a head in the Group 3 Bronte Cup at York.
That latter run looks particularly solid and she is well worth another go at 2m. At six years old, the extra spring in her step may be enough to overcome the veterans.
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