Weather permitting, the ITV Racing cameras will be heading to Sandown Park on Saturday to take on four races LIVE – on what is the first weekend of horse racing action in 2025. To help find the best profiles, Andy Newton is on hand with his key horse racing trends and stats – which you can use to apply to the final runners.
Sandown Park To Stage Seven-Race Card On First Saturday in 2025
12 months ago, this Saturday’s Sandown Park meeting was called off due to the weather and with a cold spell sweeping the country the Esher track will be hoping to avoid a repeat.
You can keep up-to-date with the latest horse racing cancellations here, plus which tracks are looking to hold inspections.
Sandown will be looking to stage a seven-race horse racing card – with four of the races LIVE on ITV Racing.
Fingers crossed Sandown can beat the freeze as we head into the worst few months of horse racing meetings being called off.
- 12:05 – Watch Unibet Racing Post Postcast Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) Cl3 (4yo+) 2m RTV
- 12:40 – Unibet More Extra Places Than Ever Handicap Chase Cl3 (5yo+ 0-140) 1m7½f RTV
- 1:15 – Try Unibet’s New Acca Boosts Seniors’ Handicap Hurdle Cl3 (8yo+ 0-135) 2m4f RTV
- 1:50 – Read Nicky Henderson’s Weekly Unibet Blog Handicap Chase (GBB Race) Cl2 (5yo+ 0-145) 2m4f ITV
- 2:25 – Try Unibet’s New Smartview Racecards Mares’ Hurdle (Listed Race) (GBB Race) Cl1 (4yo+) 2m4f ITV
- 3:00 – Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase (2024 Veterans’ Chase Series Final) Cl2 (10yo+) 3m ITV
- 3:35 – Free Bet With Unibet’s Betbuilder Rebound Handicap Hurdle (Challenger 2m Hurdle Series Qualifier) Cl3 (4yo+ 0-140) 2m ITV
Sandown Horse Racing Trends For Saturday 4th January 2025
1.50 – Read Nicky Henderson’s Weekly Unibet Blog Handicap Chase Cl3 2m4f ITV
- 9/9 – Carried 11-0 or more in weight
- 8/9 – Priced 9/1 or shorter
- 6/9 – Aged 8 or younger
- 6/9 – Carried 11-8 or more in weight
- 3/9 – Aged 6 years-old
- 2/9 – Favourites
- 5 of the last 8 winners carried 11-11 or more in weight
Comment:
With ALL of the last nine winners of this race carrying 11st+, this leaves us with three – Unexpected Party, Etalon and Hubrisko that fit the bill.
Trainer Harry Derham also has his horses in good form at the moment – with a 38% strike-rate at the time of writing, which is a further plus for his runner Hubrisko.
While the Dan Skelton yard have the best stats at the track with their chasers (23%) and run Etalon and Unexpected Party.
2.25 – Try Unibet’s New Smartview Racecards Mares’ Hurdle (Listed Race) (GBB Race) Cl1 (4yo+) 2m4f ITV
- 9/9 – Placed in the top 3 in last race
- 8/9 – Raced in the last 6 weeks
- 8/9 – Aged between 6-8 years-old
- 8/9 – Priced 11/4 or shorter
- 7/9 – Favourites placed in the top 3
- 7/9 – Won between 2-4 times
- 5/9 – Favourites
- 5/9 – Raced at Sandown before
- 4/9 – Won their last race
- The average winning SP in the last 9 runnings is 7/4
- The last 5 winners were aged 6 or 7
Comment:
ALL of the last five winners were aged 6 or 7, so this is a plus for Della Casa Lunga, Aston Martini, Georgi Girl and The Lord Maid.
A top three finish last time out is another positive – with again all of the last nine winners ticking this horse racing trend.
While it’s also been a solid race for the market leader in recent years – with five of the last 9 favourites obliging – Della Casa Lunga looks the likely jolly with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK.
3.00 – Unibet Veterans´ Handicap Chase Final (2024 Veterans´ Chase Series Final) Cl2 3m37y ITV
- Only 8 previous runnings
- Trainers Anthony Honeyball, Venetia Williams, Evan Williams (2), Charlie Longsdon, David Pipe, Sandy Thomson and Mel Rowley are past winners
- 8/8 – Raced in last 5 weeks
- 8/8 – Aged 10-13
- 7/8 – Unplaced in their last race
- 6/8 – 4+ wins over fence
- 6/8 – Carried 11-3 or less in weight
- 5/8 – Priced in double-figures
- 5/8 – Winners aged 11 or 12 years-old
- 5/8 – Officially rated between 135-145
- 4/8 – Favourites unplaced
- 2/8 – Favourite (joint)
- 2/8 – Trained by Anthony Honeyball (2 of the last 5)
- Two of the last 5 winners ridden by claimers
- Sam Brown won the race in 2024
- The 2024 running was staged at Warwick
Comment:
Some old-timers in attendance here for this veteran’s race – including last year’s winner Sam Brown, when this contest was staged at Warwick.
He’s back for more aged 13 and despite his advancing years, this race has seen three 13 year-olds win since 2017.
It’s also a race that trainer Anthony Honeyball, who trains Sam Brown, likes to target as he also won the 2020 running with Jepeck.
The other key horse racing trends to note here are that ALL of the last eight winners raced in the last five weeks – Ask Me Early and Fortescue fall down here.
While six of the last eight winners carried 11-3 or less in weight – something the top three on the card – Sam Brown, Eldordo Allen and Remastered will need to overcome.
3.35 – Free Bet With Unibet’s Betbuilder Rebound Handicap Hurdle Cl2 2m110y ITV
- 16/18 – Won between 1-3 times over hurdles in the UK before
- 15/18 – Aged between 5-7 years-old
- 15/18 – Raced within the last 8 weeks
- 12/18 – Unplaced in last race
- 12/18 – Carried 10-12 or less in weight
- 9/18 – Went onto run at that season’s Cheltenham Festival (no winners)
- 8/18 – Priced a double-figure price in the betting
- 8/18 – Came from the top 3 in the betting
- 8/18 – Went onto finish unplaced in a Cheltenham Festival race that season
- 7/18 – Raced at either Ascot (3) or Cheltenham (4) last time out
- 7/18 – Officially rated between 127 and 132
- 5/18 – Won their last race
- 5/18 – Irish bred
- 2/18 – Favourites (2 of the last 6)
- 4 of the last 10 winners were ridden by a claiming jockey
- 7 of the last 10 winners returned 10/1 or shorter
- Hardy Du Seuil won this in 2023
Comment:
The 2023 winner Hardy Du Seuil is back for more for the Jamie Snowden yard – but he’s rated 6lbs higher this time and hasn’t won a race since (7 races).
15 of the last 18 winners were aged between 5-7 years-old and also ran in the last 8 weeks – the horses aged 8+ in the race this year are Hardy Du Seuil, Aurigny Mill, Spirits Bay, Zambezi Fix and Joyeux Machin.
Finally, with 12 of the last 18 winners carrying 10-12 or less, this is a plus for just three – Honky Tonk Highway, Jour d’Evasion and Oh My Johnny from the in-form Philip Hobbs and Johnson White yard.
