Friday racing tips for Sandown: Value Bet preview and recommended bets
Sandown racing tips: Friday April 23
1pt win Melody Of Life in 1.50 Sandown at 16/1 (General)
Friday’s bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown could throw up a genuine Epsom clue or two this year, with the field comprised of some really smart two-year-olds from last term, plus a couple of eyecatching improvers from top yards.
The big one in the latter bracket has to be Trawlerman, running in the Godolphin white cap for Frankie Dettori and the Gosdens.
He looks particularly interesting on account of the drop back to 10 furlongs following a wide-margin maiden win over a mile and a half at Pontefract, along with the bare fact his connections have opted for this event rather than go down the handicap route (the bet365.com Handicap on the same card a perfectly suitable alternative) – Gosden having won the Classic Trial a record nine times, dating back to his first in 1992.
Trawlerman slammed an 80-rated colt by eight and a half lengths without being asked any serious questions in West Yorkshire so a mark of 93 could well underestimate his ability, something he wasn’t able to show for some reason in a couple of all-weather outings prior to that turf debut earlier this month.
He obviously sports the second-string silks due to the presence of Yibir, whose trainer Charlie Appleby could hardly have made a better start to the season with what he’s described as a very good crop of three-year-old Classic prospects.
It’s hard to disagree and on juvenile evidence alone Yibir would appear to be the yard’s big Derby hope, given he improved throughout the season and took his form to another level when stepped up to a mile in the Haynes, Hanson & Clark at Newbury when last seen.
He’s a brother to Wild Illusion, who was second in the Oaks, and looks set for a big year if picking up where he left off, but he does still have ground to make up on Lone Eagle based on two-year form, Martyn Meade’s horse already boasting an official mark of 110 having seen off the reopposing Recovery Run from the front in the Group Three Zetland Stakes at Newmarket to complete a hat-trick in the autumn.
With Silvestre De Sousa serving a one-day ban Meade has had to make a switch in the saddle, Sean Levey coming in for the ride, while stall two around Sandown isn’t always the ideal spot either, but Lone Eagle has a lot going for him otherwise. He’ll presumably be sent on early in an attempt to dictate matters and, while Yibir may try to keep him company, could be extremely hard to peg back.
Having taken a spot of 40/1 for the Derby already, he’s the one I’d be with here but he isn’t quite a bet at 9/2 (General) for the purposes of this column and I’d rather take a chance on MELODY OF LIFE (16/1 General) finding enough improvement to make his presence felt in the bet365 Esher Cup Handicap.
He’s another ride De Sousa misses out on but you can’t fault incoming jockey Franny Norton when it comes to getting it right from the front end on speed-favouring tracks, and I quite like this horse’s profile.
He’s at an obvious disadvantage before the gates open as he’s got to compete from 2lb ‘wrong’, but trainer Andrew Balding has enjoyed loads of success over the years with lightly-raced horses running from just out of the weights and it’s certainly not enough to put me off, not at the prices on offer anyway.
Melody Of Life is a full-brother to Happy Power, one of just four runners in the Group Two bet365 Mile a little later on the same card, and it’s worth recalling his early days as he was a bit of a slow burner too, making his handicap debut from a mark of 83 having won just once from his first three starts.
He’s managed to scale the heights to 115 and although it’s a lot to expect Melody Of Life to be operating at anything like that level by the time he’s five, it’s a fairly clear line on how things could pan out if developing along similar lines.
Handicaps do look to have been the objective for this horse from the outset, four quick all-weather runs over the winter starting with a pretty promising Kempton third where he finished a length ahead of George Peabody who is now rated 89.
He hasn’t quite kicked on as might have been expected but did it well enough when opening his account in a seven-furlong novice event at Kempton, having raced handily throughout, on his last start in mid-January.
It looks pretty significant that Balding has put him away for 100 days subsequently, even more so that he’s aimed him straight at this decent little prize in spite of the fact he’s out of the handicap, while the trainer went close with a similar sort in the 2017 edition, 12/1 chance Fearless Fire being nutted on the line by hot-favourite Atty Persse.
Going back up to a mile from seven furlongs looks a positive for Melody Of Life – he was beaten half a length at this trip on his second run – and overall he rates a fair bet in a typically competitive event.
Could Hollie Doyle be among the winners?
Elsewhere at Sandown, I’d be interested in Extra Elusive if he continues to drift in the bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes.
All the attention will be on the flashy four-year-olds but all bar Hukum still have to come up to Extra Elusive’s level in terms of official ratings and his proven ability to get the job done at Group Three level is a major asset at this stage of the season.
He was outclassed and totally out of his comfort zone on the dirt surface in the Saudi Cup earlier in the year but this is more his bag and his partnership with Hollie Doyle became one of the success stories of 2020.
Trainer Roger Charlton could be in better form but no doubt that will turn sooner rather than later. He'd be a bet if edging close to double-figure prices.
Published at 1500 BST on 22/04/21
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