SANDOWN’s card this Saturday looks a pre-Christmas cracker, headlined by the Grade One Tingle Creek (3.00pm), where Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon will attempt to win consecutive editions of this coveted two-mile prize.
Jonbon is remarkably consistent, and if successful on Saturday, he would take his career record to 16 wins from 19 starts and his earnings beyond the magic £1 million mark.
At around 1/2, he looks to stand head and shoulders over his rivals in the market, but as you may have gathered if following this column, I’m not afraid of taking on one at short odds.
You may think I’ve already been at the Christmas wine, but I do think there’s value in EDWARDSTONE.
On the face of it the case for him beating Jonbon is hardly compelling, as their head-to-head record stands at four-nil to Henderson’s eight-year-old, but at the prices there is value to be had.
That’s because in three of those previous meetings, Edwardstone has been sent off at 100/30, 9/2 and 9/2, while we now get a much juicier 15/2 about Alan King’s horse.
There are reasons to think that he can step up on his recent third on return behind Jonbon in the Shloer Chase too, as the return to Sandown, where he goes particularly well, will suit him, as will the likely soft ground.
Edwardstone won this race in 2022 and the year before that the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase over this course and distance, so he clearly goes particularly well here.
The current forecast is for rain on Saturday, and if that materialises then the going could turn testing pretty quickly as tends to be the way at the Esher track.
Jonbon had too many gears for Edwardstone at Cheltenham in the Shloer, but that was on good ground and a softer surface will probably suit the latter more than the former.
For all his consistency, Jonbon is not immune to making jumping errors, so to take a price of 1/2 about him is not my idea of a good time.
Both horses are liable to come on for their reappearance run, but perhaps Edwardstone more so, as I sense this could be his big target this year.
If I’m right, he has the class to run Jonbon very close under conditions that should be ideal, and while the Henderson horse may still have too much for him, I can’t see him finishing out of the frame, so it’s worth taking what is an each-way price now and rolling the dice.
With the Harry and Dan Skelton team continuing to send out a steady stream of winners, and very capable of readying one to win first time up, KNICKERBOCKERGLORY is well worth a look in the preceding two-mile handicap hurdle (2.25pm).
This is a horse I’ve been waiting to reappear for some time, as he tends to show his best form when fresh.
A scan of the forecast has heightened my confidence as this son of Fame And Glory performs best on soft ground, and with rain around on race day, he should encounter his ideal conditions.
Knickerbockerglory was a good second in last year’s Imperial Cup off a mark of 129 and then won a competitive handicap first time up at the beginning of last season.
That win came off a mark of 130, so he must be of interest now starting off this campaign just two pounds higher.
Quotes of 10/1 won’t be around for long and should be snapped up.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Knickerbockerglory e/w 2.25pm Sandown
Edwardstone e/w 3.00pm Sandown