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The Guardian - UK

Sport

Will Hayler

Talking Horses

Sandown Races — The GoingStick readings at Sandwon, above, suggest the far side of the sprint course will be quicker that the stands' side. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

4.15pm Michael O'Hare plotting monster five-timer

There is a major gamble underway on five Michael O'Hare-trained runners at Wetherby tonight.

The Irish trainer pulled off a major coup with a treble at Naas last October that cost bookmakers an estimated two million euros.

The five horses are: 6.00 Sammy Pat, 3-1 (from 25), 7.05 Willie Martin, 4-1 (from 16), 7.35 Vincent Pipe, 9-4 (from 10),

8.10 Turner Brown, 9-4 (from 11) and 8.45 Bale O'Shea, 2-1 (from 8).

11.00am Jan Vermeer to face 11 rivals at Epsom

Aidan O'Brien's hot favourite Jan Vermeer features among a final field of 12 runners in the Investec Derby at Epsom on Saturday.

The Montjeu colt landed the Gallinule Stakes on his first start of the campaign and a combination of that performance and the defection of his stablemate St Nicholas Abbey has seen him shoot him to the head of ante-post lists.

While O'Brien has taken out St Nicholas Abbey, Dante Stakes winner Cape Blanco and Bright Horizon, Ballydoyle will still be well represented with At First Sight and Midas Touch joining the market-leader.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Workforce and Henry Cecil's Bullet Train, both owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah, look the pick of the home team.

The Godolphin camp appear to have a strong hand as Saeed bin Suroor saddles Al Zir, the mount of Kieren Fallon, while new trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni runs both Rewilding (Frankie Dettori) and Buzzword.

John Gosden's Azmeel, the Michael Bell-trained Coordinated Cut, Michael Jarvis' Hot Prospect and Ted Spread from the Mark Tompkins stable complete the field.

Today's best bets, by Will Hayler

Once again it's Andrew Cooper who is leading the way among his fellow clerks of the course by this week producing separate GoingStick readings for the stands' side and far side of the track for Sandown's meeting this evening and for Epsom tomorrow and on Saturday.

Interestingly, they show that the ground on the stands' rail in the home straight at Epsom is a little bit quicker than the usual racing line against the far rail, but will the difference be enough to compensate for the ground that would be lost in switching across? Will any jockeys be brave enough to find out tomorrow?

It's no surprise that Sandown's readings show that the far side of the sprint course is quicker than the stands' side – that's seemingly been the case for some time. It also helps to explain why I think Doric Lady (6.45), drawn 12 of 17, has a good chance at 10-1 in the five-furlong handicap.

She had no chance in another contest in which draw bias played a significant part at Newmarket on 1,000 Guineas day, but showed enough away from the favoured rail to suggest that she can be competitive this evening.

It's a long way north from Jim Boyle's Epsom yard up to Hamilton, but the trainer has shown before that he isn't afraid to travel in search of the right opportunity. Caprio (2.40) has to give plenty of weight away here, however he has been in really good form on the all-weather in recent months and goes particularly well for today's jockey Nicky Mackay. If he gets to the front and on the rail, he will be tough to peg back.

Welcome Approach (3.10) proved a real let-down when I backed him at Carlisle 10 days ago, but he's just too well-treated for me not to be able to forgive him one bad run. He is up against some very ordinary rivals today and seemed to appreciated this course and distance when second here last month.

Souter Point is a favourite I want to be against in the first race on the jumps card at Newton Abbot. He struggled to win on the Flat and has shown why in his four starts for Nicky Henderson over hurdles, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory more than once. Having travelled powerfully for most of the race, he weakened so quickly once pressure was applied at Newbury two runs ago that he ended up finishing last of the five runners, while although his finishing effort was stronger at Ascot last month, he seemed more interested in edging sideways than going forwards when David Bass applied maximum pressure.

Henderson reaches for blinkers today, and the booking of Tony McCoy is another new angle, but I'm going to keep taking Souter Point on until he has managed to get his head in front and Hilfiger (2.30) looks a safer option having run well enough on his two starts since joining Ian Williams from Germany.

Tipping competition day four

Very little to report from yesterday again. Mulldog stays out in front but that was because no one found the 33-1 shot Exceedingly Good and made any progress on the leader.

If you think we are going to make it any easier this week you are very much mistaken and before the classy racing begins at the Epsom Derby meeting tomorrow we want you to find the winners in these bargain-basement events: 2.50 Lingfield; 3.10 Hamilton and 3.20 Lingfield.

This week's prize is a £50 bet on the Derby, offered by those kind folks at Coral.

As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you haven't joined in this week so far, feel free to do so today, but you will start on -9.

For terms and conditions click here.

Good luck