Sandown – Brigadier Gerard Evening Preview

A cracking card at Sandown on Thursday evening so thought I would take a closer look as there are plenty of Royal Ascot clues and I have a 20/1 Royal Hunt Cup bet running in the last. CADRE is well worth a bet in the 8:50 tonight at 6’s on Betfair for John Gosden as he is rated a potential Group class colt in the making. He is also 9/2 with Bet365 and it’s one of their Feature races which means if you back him with them and he wins you get a FREE bet to the same value stake in their first feature race on Friday. If you don’t have an account with Bet365 I recommend you do so just for this bet as I think it’s a steal, just click the banner below. Have 20pts each way at 9/2 with Bet365 as I am confident he will win and certainly not be out the frame. This will then give you a FREE 20pts bet in the first Bett365 feature race on Friday should he win.

6:05

Starting in the 10f handicap at and the very well bred Kensington Oval by Sadler’s Wells out of a Rainbow Quest mare is likely to be the first of many short-priced favourites for the Stoute/Moore combo tonight and rightly so, he has every chance. However, preference is for the equally respect John Gosden runner SERIOUS IMPACT who is stepped back to 10f after running 3rd over 12f last time. That could be a shrewd move and he may represent better value than than the favourite, holding a fitness advantage over that rival.
If it rains Dr Livingstone would have a chance but if not then the rapidly improving PELHAM CRESCENT could make the frame and may be worth an e/w bet providing it doesn’t rain. He is on for the 4-timer and the promising David Probert is on board. I like his breeding being by Giant’s Causeway out of a Riverman mare and he could run a race at a price.

6:35

I don’t really bet in 2yo races as they are generally unpredictable events. Monsieur Chevalier should take this but he was workmanlike in soft ground last time and this comes plenty soon enough. I’ve just watched the video of RAINE’S CROSS win at Bath last time and although that was not a strong event, he won in the manner of a potentially Group-class colt despite meeting a bit of trouble and having to be switched round the outsider. He is reportedly heading to the Coventry stakes. At 3/1+ he could scare the favourite here.

7:10

A decent renewal of the Henry VII stakes but very hard to see past PATKAI after his demolition job in the Sagaro Stakes. However, he is odds-on so I will be looking at the forecast. Everything needs to go right for Geordieland but he does go very well fresh and is the highest-rated in the field. However, Tastahil ran a good race last time, Barry Hills is in excellent form this season and this one has scope for improvement at the trip so he may take the runner-up slot and provide a bit of value for the forecast.

7:45

Race of the night in my opinion. We have the Leger/Breeders Cup winner CONDUIT trying to concede weight all round to some decent types over a trip short of his best first time out so he looks one to take on at first glance but he is a class act and could represent a bit of value at 3/1+ here for his in-form trainer/jockey combo. Campanologist placed in the Eclipse last year and ran some decent races but Godolphin are in shocking form and no Frankie is a negative tonight. Pipedreamer has to have a major chance based on his 2nd to Tartan Bearer over C&D last time and he rates the one to beat but he does have a habit of finding one too good at the top level and although he should come on for the run he may find the Stoute horse outclasses him, especially if there is a fast pace on which seems likely. There may not be much room for each-way value here but it’s interesting that Adam Kirby deserts Staying On for Stotsfold. That one was not disgraced in the Eclipse last year and ended the season with a  GP3 win at Windsor. He ran ok when beaten 3 lengths by Paco Boy over an inadequate mile trip last time and can step up on that run tonight back over 10f.

8:20

You can pretty much put a line through the Godolphin 3yo’s at the moment so it looks to rest between Border Patrol and RACKATEER with the ground conditions swinging it in the favour of the Gosden runner. Border Patrol being by Selkirk out of an Efisio mare has already shown a slight preference for cut and has to concede 5lb to a highly rated Gosden runner. Postie tipped me this one last month when winning over C&D as being a potential Group-class colt and if he improves on that run he will be very tough to beat. Being by Cape Cross obviously any rain may swing things the other way but this is a class colt.

8:50

Another Gosden runner. Postie has also mentioned to me that CADRE is being targeted at the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascoot so I’m on at 20/1 each-way with Bluesq and am also on at 6’s for this race on Betfair which believe me is a massive price. I don’t usually bet ante-post in Royal Ascot handicaps but I’ve made an exception in this case. At Lingfield 2 outings ago he finished slightly lame after being heavily eased but bounced back in some style at Yarmouth last time (check the video on Attheracces). He has been tearing up the gallops lately and has improved markedly since that last run. He looks a potential Group class colt in the making so 6.2 on Betfair will not last long in my opinion and the 20/1 with BlueSq for the Royal Hunt Cup should be snapped up as I expect him to win tonight and contract for the latter race as a result. LIGHT FROM MARS is a consistent type and at double-figure prices could reward each-way support here.