Horse racing tips: Sandown, Haydock, Doncaster, Ripon, Leicester and Wolverhampton – Steve Mullen’s betting preview for the racing this Saturday, April 28
Steve Mullen guides you through Saturday's racing at Sandown, Haydock, Doncaster, Ripon, Leicester and Wolverhampton
MAKE the winning Approach to the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown (3.35).
MISSED APPROACH was highly impressive when winning the Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last time and can win this dogfight that ends the jumps season.
Going from the front has paid dividends in this race before and he managed to pull off those tactics right through the 3m2f at Cheltenham.
He wasn’t stopping up the hill either and kept finding more as the challengers queued up in behind.
It was a joy to see him fighting right up the hill after looking a couple of times as though he would be swamped.
The handicapper was impressed enough to put him up 8lb but that looks fair enough for a horse that is still improving.
Warren Greatrex has been careful with him and did the right thing when switching him back to the bigger obstacles after a modest hurdles effort in November.
Another smart move was reaching for the headgear. Fitting blinkers has brought about lots of improvement and maybe he needed a little help concentrating during his races.
His amateur rider is good value for his 5lb claim and doesn’t have to worry about tactics too much — just point him at the line and let him go.
Present Man is an interesting contender for Bryony Frost and Paul Nicholls. They have been no strangers to big Saturday successes this season and the eight-year-old is another capable of improvement.
He had a spin over hurdles at Musselburgh last time after a modest effort in the Ladbrokes Trophy that we still all call the Hennessy.
There is some talent there as he showed when winning the Badger Ales Chase at Wincanton before Christmas.
Thanks to his troubles, he is only 5lb higher in the weights today and should have no trouble with the trip. He was pulled up in this 12 months ago but has improved since and could run into the frame at a price.
Blaklion has plenty of class but he’s got plenty of weight here too. You can’t count the Grand National as his last run because he was knocked over jumping the first.
While his best form has been over the spruce fences, he was second to Bristol De Mai in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby so likes the normal ones too.
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He is back to his last winning mark that saw him score at Pontefract in July on testing ground and he finished the season with a fair effort in a similar race to this at Doncaster.
This looks wide open with Mjjack looking to follow up a good win at Newmarket last time out. The handicapper has been fair with a 6lb rise in the weights and Clifford Lee is good value for his claim.
Trainer Karl Burke has made a good start to the season and he’s also bagged a handy draw in stall one.
Calder Prince is another one with claims. He had six lengths in hand when winning at Wolverhampton last time and went well on his last trip to Haydock in September.
He’s up the weights but comes from another yard that is in decent nick.
SANDOWN
1.50 Mont Des Avaloirs
2.25 Top Notch
3.00 Altior
3.35 Missed Approach
4.05 Wholestone
4.40 Geordie Des Champs
5.15 Soul Emotion
HAYDOCK
1.30 Lisheen Castle
2.05 Robero
2.40 Point Hope
3.15 Fire Diamond
3.45 Knighted
4.15 Gulf Of Poets
4.50 Rainbow Rebel
LEICESTER
1.40 Bahamian Dollar
2.15 Maries Diamond
2.45 Emmaus
3.20 Raynas World
3.55 Oswald
4.30 Podemos
5.00 Belisa
RIPON
1.45 Kinks
2.20 Poets Society
2.55 Terentum Star
3.30 Dominating
4.00 Brandon Castle
4.35 Salazar
5.05 Silver Straight
DONCASTER
5.10 Qeyaadah
5.40 No Lippy
6.15 Ateem
6.45 Andok
7.15 Casima
7.45 Made Of Honour
8.15 Fortunate Vision
WOLVERHAMPTON
5.25 Kamra
6.00 Leoro
6.30 Star Ascending
7.00 Glencadam Glory
7.30 Star Of The East
8.00 Kawsir
8.30 Sir Lancelot