Racing Post Chase at Sandown Betting Preview

The key to Saturday's Racing Post Chase at Sandown is to be found within the form of the 2m 5f Robin Cook Memorial Gold Cup at Cheltenham in December when two horses - Lacdoudal and Brooklyn Breeze - were staying on in good style, both clearly crying out for a return to the 3m trip which they will encounter weekend. The Len Lungo-trained Brooklyn Breeze is the main selection, because to my mind he's the one with the greater untapped potential and, at 14/1 with Bet365, looks a cracking each-way bet. Despite being a nine-year-old, Brooklyn Breeze has had just six starts over fences, but he jumps like an old hand, an attribute which is invaluable at Sandown where the stiff fences - particularly the Railway Fences which come thick and fast down the back straight - provide a stern examination of a horses agility. The son of Be My Native was not seeing out his races last season, and his stamina had been called into question. However, a subsequent wind operation during the summer appears to have worked the trick. Indeed, he was putting in all his best work in the closing stages in the Robin Cook Memorial Gold Cup, faring extremely well under the circumstances to be beaten just six lengths into fourth having been hampered at the third-last. A short head in advance of him in third there was Lacdoudal, who will be 1lb worse off on Saturday. Philip Hobbs' charge is off a career-high mark of 149 and could be vulnerable to a horse like Brooklyn Breeze, who is potentially much better than his current rating. However, I still cannot ignore that the grey has strong claims and, at 13/2 with Paddy Power, he is well worth a saver. The seven-year-old never runs a bad race, has won over course and distance and he's a safe conveyance. Although the race he won here in December was a six-runner intermediate chase, the form is solid as he beat the likes of My Will, El Vaquero and See You Sometime, all high class chasers in their own right. And, in any case, Lacdoudal has proven time and time again that he can handle the hustle and bustle of competitive handicaps. He looks sure to be on the premises. Stablemate Made In Japan tries 3m for the first time and merits respect, while many peoples idea of the likely winner of this, Ladalko, has ran here on his last two starts. The latter would still be feasibly treated on the pick of his hurdles form off his current mark of 136. However, he has yet to show anything like the same level of form over fences and, given that his jumping isn't always accurate - he fell when looking set to score two out here on his penultimate start - I'd be keen to take him on. Fork Lightning has ran well in two starts since returning from injury and is another who merits respect. But he was beaten fair and square behind Joaaci at Cheltenham last time, an effort which suggests that the handicapper may have his measure and that, in this grade, he may find one or two too good. Graphic Approach was the chief beneficiary when Ladalko fell here last month. Charlie Egerton's charge is lightly raced and open to improvement. That said, I can't fancy him at around the 8/1 mark in a hot race like this. He's shown nothing near the level of form required to take a race of this nature and has been raised 8lb for that course and distance win, which was fortuitous.