Our man Fran Berry has a guide to Sandown Park where the second leg of the Sky Bet Sunday Series takes place this afternoon.
Sandown is a fantastic track. The surface is usually in great condition but for a big, galloping course it often pays to be handy.
There’s a long run down the back before a sharp right-handed turn for home. The pace can sometimes steady right and then build gradually over the final three-and-a-half furlongs. It can be very hard sometimes to get to the leaders.
However, if they are racing round that bend the closers have their chance, the stiff uphill finish is one of the main features of Sandown and you can find a horse tying up underneath you if you’ve made the move too soon.
The winning post is almost on the bend and in the dying strides you’ll often see a horse drift a little left or right but generally the best horse wins. It’s just in the big-field handicaps horses who are held up or race on the rail are at the mercy of the race and the pace.
If the ground goes on the soft side, the stands’ rail is the place to be so keep an eye on that given the weather forecast.
The sprint course is a very stiff five furlongs. You can even look for horses dropping back in distance who will be able to sustain their run in the last two furlongs.