With the Grand National meeting now only 24 hours away, many punters will be understandably taking a bit of a pull this afternoon when the loss of Nottingham’s first Flat meeting of the season will leave the programme looking a little light.
It is a rare day that does not have a runner at an interesting price somewhere on the schedule, however, and the trusty all-weather stalwart Sandfrankskipsgo (4.20), who will be making his 71st start at the age of nine, looks ready to outrun odds of around 6-1 at Lingfield.
Peter Crate’s gelding is on a 20-race losing streak and his latest winter campaign has also been largely disappointing, but he had dropped to a mark in the 50s for the first time in his career on his most recent start, over today’s track and trip, and returned to form to finish second, a neck behind the winner. The time was good and the fourth and seventh horses home are both winners since, and Sandfrankskipsgo has also picked up a handy draw in three. He is unlikely to have a better chance to snap his losing run in the foreseeable future.
Chandos Belle (3.05) and Roxyfet (3.35) will both line up with sound chances at Market Rasen, while Birds Of Prey (8.15) is an interesting runner for Paul Nicholls on the Flat card at Kempton. Nicholls is two-from-five on the all-weather this year, and Birds Of Prey was going the right way for John Oxx in Ireland last year when his campaign ended with a win in a handicap at Gowran Park in early September.
His fitness needs to be taken on trust, but Nicholls is hardly renowned as a trainer who sends a horse to the track short of work, while Megan Nicholls has a 27% strike rate for her father since the start of 2017.
Lingfield 1.40 Rattle On 2.10 Ravenhoe
2.40 New Orleans 3.15 Perfect Pastime
3.45 Geetanjali 4.20 Sandfrankskipsgo (nb) 4.50 Lubinka 5.20 Scoones
Market Rasen 2.00 Mont Des Avaloirs
2.30 The Bottom Bar 3.05 Chandos Belle
3.35 Roxyfet 4.10 Beggar’s Wishes
4.40 Shockingtimes 5.10 Akarita Lights
Kempton 5.45 Settle Petal 6.15 Magnificent 6.45 Perfect Hustler 7.15 Coverham (nap) 7.45 Paddy A 8.15 Birds Of Prey
8.45 Four Fifty Three 9.15 Red Invader
