Al Ferof Entered for Henry VIII Novice's Chase

Another big weekend of jumps racing action is upon us almost already and one of the key contests is going to be Saturday's Markel Insurace Henry VIII Novice's Chase at Sandown. Al Ferof is the key name coming into this one and he'll be looking for his fifth score on the bounce this time out with an eye firmly fixed on the festival season again this year.

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Switching over from hurdles to fences hasn't shaken up the talented six-year-old one bit as he got his chasing career off to a dream start with a seven length victory over a field of seven at Cheltenham a few weeks back. A Grade 2 score against novice company certainly sets him up nicely for this Grade 1 race. It's likely that he'll go off as the favourite but whether he continues as an odds-on favourite remains to be seen.

It appears as though the Arkle Chase is the ultimate destination for Al Ferof and the bookmakers have taken him into 6/1s after that solid score on his debut. Back-to-back Cheltenham Festival victories over hurdles and fences would put Al Ferof in some very solid historical company.

Sprinter Sacre is set to debut over fences and could be set to provide a significant amount of competition as he turns out for Nicky Henderson's yard. He was a beaten third to Al Ferof in the aforementioned Cheltenham victory a last March and he'll be out looking for revenge here.

For Non Stop is another recognizable name who carries an entry here and he improved significantly in his last contest, finishing ahead of all but one as he came second in the Coral Hurdle, losing only to Overturn, when sent off at 25/1.

Other notables on the card includeLidar, Lancetto and Border Station. Megastar also carries an entry for the Sandown feature.

The race serves as an undercard contest for the widely-anticipated Tingle Creek Chase where many expect a famous contest between the up-and-coming Tatniano and the Champion Chaser Sizing Europe. The ominously-named Kauto Stone is a Nicholls-trained five-year-old who shifted over from a career on the proving grounds at Auteil and won a Grade 2 on debut at Down Royal. He's getting a lot of attention and will likely go off around 10/1.