Andrew Asquith has looked through the entries this weekend and has selected two bets at Sandown and Wolverhampton.
Weekend View: Saturday March 8
1pt win Go Dante in the 2.25 Sandown at 10/1 (General)
1pt win Whip Cracker in the 2.45 Wolverhampton at 10/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
With Cheltenham well and truly on the horizon it isn’t the most compelling weekend of racing, but the Imperial Cup is likely to serve up a competitive field, and it is another race in which a £100,000 bonus is on offer for any horse who wins at Sandown on Saturday and goes on to follow up in any race at the Festival next week.
Martin Pipe managed to land the bonus twice in the 90s, while his son, David, also secured the bonus with Gaspara in 2007. More recently, Dan Skelton also went close with Langer Dan in 2021, who went on to finish runner-up to no other than Galopin des Champs in the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at the Festival.
Willie Mullins had eight entries in the Imperial Cup prior to the five-day stage and relies solely on the claims of Batman Girac, who holds an entry in the County Hurdle next week. His profile isn’t all that convincing, but it would be folly to rule out his claims given connections.
Olly Murphy is enjoying his best season ever, having already saddled 112 winners this season at a strike rate of 24%, blowing his total of 103 in 2023/24 out of the water, and he continues to go along nicely in the build up to Cheltenham.
He won the Imperial Cup with GO DANTE 12 months ago and you can’t help but think this has been his main target again all season.
He’d already won by this stage last season and, while he hasn’t yet this, he’s seemingly been working his way back to full fitness, catching the eye somewhat in the William Hill Hurdle – formerly known as the Betfair Hurdle – at Newbury last month.
Go Dante was given a patient ride, racing at least three wide throughout, before making eye-catching progress entering the straight, making up plenty of ground down the outside with ease.
It would be going too far to say he ever looked like winning, as Joyeuse proved a handicap blot, but he was still making headway without being knocked about when hampered by a faller after jumping the last, having to quickly switch and losing momentum. His race was run at that point and his jockey wasn’t overly hard on him on the run-in.
Go Dante has now fallen 2lb below last year’s winning mark and arguably arrives in better heart than his recent form figures suggest. He started 5/1 joint-favourite for this race last year, but is available to back at 10/1, so representing an in-form yard and with no worries regards the ground, he's an appealing bet.
There isn’t much else at Sandown that tickles my fancy but there is a good card at Wolverhampton and the Lincoln Trial is worth getting stuck into. Kingdom Come won from a 2lb lower mark 12 months ago and has been installed favourite.
He was beaten by Sterling Knight last time and is weighted to turn that form around, but there are a few horses set to make their return in this who had plenty of solid turf form last season that I think are of more interest.
The one who takes my eye is WHIP CRACKER, who showed plenty in two starts towards the backend of his juvenile campaign, running a solid debut at Newmarket and readily landing the odds against lesser opposition at Chelmsford soon after.
He didn’t manage to win last season, but he did mix it with some nice types who went on to better things afterwards. Whip Cracker finished runner-up to Jayarebe in the Fielden Stakes on his return and that rival progressed well, going on to win the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot and a Group 2 in France before sadly suffering a fatal heart attack in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar.
Whip Cracker wasn’t in quite the same form in another Listed contest at Newmarket and the Britannia at Royal Ascot on his next two starts, but following a gelding operation, he got back on the up in a couple of competitive handicaps at Newbury and Goodwood.
The form of his Newbury third worked out well, finishing a length behind the runner-up Bolster, who went on to win a useful handicap at York from a mark of 105 before closing his season with a narrow victory in a Listed contest at Newmarket (he’s now rated 111). Whip Cracker cruised into contention that day, too, looking like he was going to be a threat before the mile and a quarter trip on soft ground seemingly got the better of him.
He was also the last one to come off the bridle in a heavy-ground handicap over a mile at Goodwood, still in the lead entering the final furlong before fading out of proceedings late in the day.
It is a slight concern that he didn’t find as much as expected on the latter occasion, but I’m pinning that down to the testing ground for now.
Furthermore, his two biggest efforts to date have come off a break, so fresh may be the time to catch him, and he returns off a career-low mark of 97. I’m hoping the strong-travelling Whip Cracker will find the return to all-weather racing liberating for an in-form Richard Hughes.
Preview posted at 1450 GMT on 04/03/2025
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