15:30 Sandown

Friday 6 December 2019

All12:4513:2013:5514:2514:5515:30

IIRD Supports Motor Neurone Disease Association Novices' Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:30 | Winning time: 4m 22.17s

Mickey Buckman³³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: N F Houlihan⁽⁷⁾| T: G & J Moore| OR: 119

10/1

Improving with experience; good third to Do Wanna Know and Hurricane Harvey at Huntingdon (2m3½f, good) 33 days ago - form boosted since; stablemate of Et Moi Alors; a likely player.

Form: 5/23

Et Moi Alors^p²¹²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-10| J: Joshua Moore| T: G & J Moore| OR: 117

16/1

Maiden (0-10 over hurdles) with a stack of placed form on his CV; absent since losing out by ½L in a sustained duel with Buster Edwards at Fontwell (3m2f, good) in May; is versatile trip wise; stablemate of Mickey Buckman.

Form: 00523-2

Sunrise Ruby²¹¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-10| J: N de Boinville| T: N J Henderson| OR: 117| BF| D

3/1

Won a mares' bumper on debut at Southwell (1m7½f, good) in June 2018; there or thereabouts since (232) without necessarily progressing; beaten at odds of 4-6f in a Worcester maiden (2m4f) in May.

Form: 123-2

Derek Duval^t²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: J E Moore| T: J & S Best| OR: 112

33/1

Reasonably useful over 1m2f on the Flat for Stuart Williams (81-rated); ran respectably when fourth to Ecco over hurdles at Ascot (1m7½f, good to soft) in November; doesn't appeal as a winner in waiting.

Form: 9540

The Raven's Return³⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: J McGrath| T: J W Mullins| OR: 111| CD

7/1

Heavy ground bumper winner here in November 2018; kept right up to his work when seeing off a stablemate in a Fontwell maiden (2m6f, good) in May; not obviously well treated off a mark of 111.

Form: 6P7-414

Welland³⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-1| J: Paul O'Brien⁽³⁾| T: Mrs P Sly| OR: 108| D

7/1

Took a marked step forward when winning a Class 4 handicap at Fakenham (2m, good) in October; 6lb higher here, and you can't help but wonder about the overall strength in depth in that particular race.

Form: 5953-71

Catch The Cuban^p,t²⁵

Age: 3| Weight: 10-9| J: R M Power| T: C L Tizzard| OR: 116| D

7/1

Modest on the Flat (58-rated) but already shaping up to be a much better hurdler; wore his heart on his sleeve from the outset when a slightly fortuitous winner at Kempton (2m, good) 25 days ago; 4lb higher.

Form: 321

Pop The Cork⁴⁹

Age: 3| Weight: 10-9| J: Jonjo O'Neill Jr.| T: J & A O'Neill| OR: 116| D

11/2

Beaten 5L by Guardia Top on hurdles debut at Perth (2m, heavy); turned over an odds-on favourite in an otherwise relatively porous juvenile hurdle at Uttoxeter (2m, soft) seven weeks ago.

Form: 21

Golconda Prince^t⁶⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 10-7| J: M Goldstein| T: M Pattinson| OR: 100

66/1

Badly out of form on the Flat this year, and his form figures over hurdles of 5F5 hardly instil confidence; 100-1 when beaten 28L (fifth) by Golden Taipan at Huntingdon (2m, good) in October.

Form: 5F/5

Guardia Top³¹

Age: 3| Weight: 10-3| J: David Noonan| T: N J Hawke| OR: 110| BF| D

9/2

Building up a consistent sequence of form figures over hurdles (432112); has the measure of the subsequent winner Pop The Cork on the basis of Perth form; carried left by the winner This Tiger Feet at Exeter (2m2½f, soft) latest; chance.

Form: 432112

Megalodon^t¹⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 10-3| J: P J Brennan| T: P Henderson| OR: 96

16/1

Nine-race maiden; has achieved precious little since returning from summer wind surgery; continues to ease in the weights as a result, but is very difficult to fancy in current form.

Form: 2063-P0

Harry Hazard³²

Age: 5| Weight: 10-3| J: Page Fuller⁽³⁾| T: Miss Z C Davison| OR: 96

16/1

Six-race rules maiden; 2lb lower than when finishing a remote fourth (13-2) to Poucor at Plumpton (2m, heavy) 32 days ago; is considered unlikely.

Form: 05765-4

Non-Runners

Kestrel Valley¹

Weight: 10-0| Age: 5

T: M Sheppard J: Jamie Bargary

Forecasts

Sunrise Ruby (3/1), Guardia Top (9/2), Pop The Cork (11/2), Welland (7/1), The Raven's Return (7/1), Catch The Cuban (7/1), Mickey Buckman (10/1), Et Moi Alors (16/1), Harry Hazard (16/1), Megalodon (16/1), Kestrel Valley (33/1), Derek Duval (33/1), Golconda Prince (66/1)

A low-key finale to an otherwise interesting Sandown card. The chances of Guardia Top, Catch The Cuban and Sunrise Ruby are fairly obvious on paper, but equally the latter named pair in particular are perfectly beatable. Therefore, the tentative vote goes to one of the Gary Moore-trained runners, MICKEY BUCKMAN. His opening mark of 119 isn't 'a gift', hence the deployment of the 7lb claimer Niall Houlihan (Joshua Moore partners Et Moi Alors) but both of his runs over hurdles at Huntingdon stack up well. His most recent 3½L third has been advertised since by the winner Do Wanna Know (Newbury) and the second Hurricance Harvey (Ludlow).