i disagree,going rh is a serious negatinve and i am laying lbb for a place.

will it be on???

I got on the 12s on Monday night, but I'm not convinced the ground will be soft enough.
There seems to be a big belief the ground will be heavy, but I think a lot of people are looking at the flat course going description (soft) and not the chase course. As of Tuesday 3.00pm the chase course was still G/S, Good in place. It was 1.4 better on the going stick than the flat course.
I eagerly await the updated going stick readings (hopefully later today), but I don't think heavy is a sure thing.

Mite nt be on at all

Hereford and Epsom doubtful already today due to massive downpiurs

Todays Sandown going report must be a secret, cant find any update!

I sent Sandown Park a tweet to ask about the going... no reply. I guess they will update later this afternoon, yesterday's update was at 4pm, so maybe the same today.

Could be too heavy to race on the flat course, but ok for the jumps. Would the card still go ahead with 4 races??

I think it will be ok, they won't cancel a meeting of this profile unless the course is underwater!

the race is on saturday,still 3 days of potential rain,and to be honest i too find it hard to believe,and the fact their is still good in the description amazes me.

No fear about ground not being right - LBB is the one.

Anyone give Tullamore Drew a chance? 1lb lower than when running Massini's Maguires. That race has worked out very well. Obv there are worries about him being over the top and also the distance but price compensates.

Agree with Rare Bob. Only thing putting me off him was that I thought it was going to be heavy. If that doesn't turn out to be the case will probably back him. Esecially if good is in the description. I know he has some form on heavy but trainer been quoted as saying he wants better ground than that.

WE ALL needed our waterproofs on the gallops at Barbury on Wednesday, but neither Alan nor Wayne (Hutchinson) were complaining about getting soaked as they heard that Sandown, where the mud-loving West End Rocker is due to sign our season off in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown on Saturday, was also getting rain aplenty.
    Just 4mm fell overnight on the Esher slopes, but the word from clerk of the course Andrew Cooper at breakfast-time was that it had started raining heavily again and that anything between 10-15mm could hit Sandown by early afternoon.
Obviously, as always at Sandown the Flat course will ride much softer than the jumps track, but it looks like being ideal for ‘Rocker’, who was out on the gallops with Wayne this morning.
    Alan said: “‘Rocker’ has bounced back well from Aintree. He just got in too tight at the second fence and that was that, but there were 10 minutes or so of real anxiety as he ran loose and we did not know where he was.
“Happily, he was soon reunited with the team and came back unscathed, and he went fine this morning, so we just hope that it keeps on raining over the next 72 hours or so.”
    ‘Rocker’ has never won right-handed – he has run his best races at Aintree, Warwick and Newbury – but he ran well enough over hurdles at Taunton as a novice to suggest that it won’t be a problem.

This looks a really trappy race, pure and simple! I have looked over the field a number of times and I keep coming to the conclusion that it's the kind of race that will produce a surprise. But who will it be? Personally I think it might be Viking Blond, but I will address his chances in a moment.

I've backed Le Beau Bai in every race this season and he just strikes me as the sort to not relish the test that Sandown offers. He needs it bottomless and I'm not sure it will be (I live near the course and the heavy rain stopped at about 3. Since then it hasn't been heavy rain. Not raining as I write this, just very windy). He is a very talented horse and his form this season is rock solid. My issue lies with the view that I think the pace of the race will be too quick for him. I realise it is a marathon test but I just get the feeling that he will be getting niggled as they go out for the final time and the quick succession of railway fences will be his undoing. The more I think about it, he could do the job and I'd be happy for him. But from a betting perspective I'm going with my gut.

Vic Venturi could be interesting at 40/1 through his form with Follow The Plan, but his form has been patchy of late

I've always thought Viking Blond is capable of winning a decent prize this season and this could be it. While Sam is not on board which is a negative, he has been dropped to quite a workable mark of 135. He'll like the ground and the distance and his jumps like he did earlier in the season he will handle the railway fences. He makes for a fair degree of appeal at 25/1

Any Currency would be my idea of the winner had he not run at Ayr last weekend. For this reason I'm inclined to swerve him

Aldertune does look an interesting sort but watching his last few races this season he appears to be very ungenuine, he doesn't like going past horses


That is my view of the race. It does appear to be somewhat of a no bet race. However I just can't get the idea of Viking Blond winning out of my head

i cant have viking blond,i think hes over the top and any way ican c his jumping going to pot at this track.i agree with your reasons for opposing lbb plus i think going rh is a negative,i am laying him for a place.i really like aldertune,track ground trip no problem,jumps lovely.imo hes an e.w good thing and will have a decent cut on him.i wonder who will ride him?gl

Tidal Bay has a very good record on soft ground or worse. Has finished 2nd At Sandown before over 2 miles... shapes like he'll stay but hasn't proved it as such.

When do bookies go NRNB? Will it be now or tomorrow?

Now Soft, gd/sft in places after 4mm.  Not much rain forecast now.  So soft at worst.

Sorry for novice question but does jockey booking mean he will carry 9 st 9lb or has his allowance already been taken into account?

Agree with a lot you've said IC super. I think the soft ground horses have been overbet for a race likely to be run on no worse than good to soft going. Am also on Viking Blond- he got very buzzed up before the Welsh National and raced too keenly, forget that run. Good jumper, not out of this at 25/1. Had to back my National plunge Rare Bob as well at 20/1- has had a light season geared to the National and very well in compared to West End Rocker on more decent ground on their Beecher running.