Sandown hosts Melbourne’s major metropolitan program this weekend and nine races will be run and won.
The rain has continued to tumble at Sandown this week and at publish, we’re faced with a track rated in the Heavy (9) range, while the rail will be set out six metres around the entire course.
Check out our Sandown tip sheet below!
Stars Of Dom showed promise at the trials prior to debuting and worked home well to only just miss behind Divine Dot here three weeks ago. With natural improvement for that experience, she can certainly go one better.
Afterberna returned to action with a sharp performance to break her maiden in dominant fashion at Pakenham and was last seen finishing third, beaten a nose on the Caulfield Heath. She strips fitter again, is drawn ideally and gets some relief in the weights under Ryan Houston.
First Chorus has finished worse than second just once in four runs back this time, winning twice including a strong effort to get up over a mile at Caulfield last time out. In peak order this week, a repeat of that latest run would see her extremely difficult to toss again.
Clevor Trevor ended his last preparation with success in maiden company out at Seymour in February, picking up where he left off with a sharp performance in Class 1 company at Bendigo. Having since progressed to Saturday metro success at Caulfield a fortnight ago, he’s open to further improvement and I can’t find a reason why he won’t be in the finish again.
Having struck in BM100 company at Flemington back in April, Big Swinger was a month between runs into a credible run under testing conditions to finish third here last time out. Staying at the 1400m suits, he’ll relish a drop in the weights and has options in the run this week from the rails draw.
Bazaball Rewarded was nothing short of outstanding last time in, winning five of six starts and finding form around some credible opposition in the process. She returned to action with a sharp performance to win in BM84 company at Caulfield; arguably her best effort to date, while she was far from disgraced stepping up into Listed company last time out, finishing a credible fifth. With further improvement this week and dropping in class, the $7 about her at publish looks a touch of overs.
Having only just been denied over a mile at Pakenham fresh in April, Simurgh is since unbeaten in two stronger Saturday metro races over 2000m at Caulfield. I thought his latest effort, while still clearly very good, was one of a horse looking for further and he gets out to the mile and a half this time.
Gilded Water was surely too bad to be true when resuming here last month and I am happy to give him another chance. The Fastnet Rock gelding turned in some fine performances last time in, winning in BM84 company at Caulfield before two strong efforts in The Bart Cummings and the Ladbrokes Geelong Cup, the latter of which where he was only just denied. He is a horse that tends to enjoy strong improvement with a run under his belt and does have form on rain-affected going.
We haven’t seen her at the races since Decmeber, but Storm Season was unbeaten in two starts last time in, including a sharp performance to get up over 1400m at this point of her preparation. She flies fresh and, in a race, as open as this, she’s certainly one that I capable of running a drum at a price.
Best – Race 7 No. 5 Simurgh
Next Best – Race 1 No. 7 Stars Of Dom
Value – Race 6 No. 10 Bazaball Rewarded