Sandown Preview & Best Bets – Saturday April 8
Our form expert provides Sandown tips for today’s horse racing at Sandown Racecourse and gives his best bets.
Sandown Tips 8/4/2023
BEST BET 🏆 (WIN)
Race 8 No. 3 RIGHT YOU ARE- ($4.20)
Nice race and another at Group 3 level. RIGHT YOU ARE was scratched from the recent Australian Cup and saved for this. The Maher/Eustace galloper has the picket fence formline with five straight wins and did it at both ends in the Australian Cup Prelude to go a very healthy 14.7 lengths faster than standard benchmark. He can get a few off the bit early on here and the son of So You Think has the tenacity to stick on strong at the business end, while the break between runs is a proven formula for this galloper.
NEXT BEST 🥈 (WIN)
Race 2 No.1 ROYAL MERCHANT- ($8.50)
ROYAL MERCHANT can go close in Race 2. The Maher/Eustace galloper comes into this with six weeks in between runs and was excellent at Group 2 level at Sandown on February 25 when runner-up in the Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m), leading before going down in the shadows behind Shuffle Dancer. She had a bit of a gap on the rest and went a healthy 7.3 lengths faster than standard benchmark that day. That came off a similar break between runs. Celine Gaudry rides and claims the 3kg.
BEST VALUE 💰(EACH-WAY)
Race 7 No. 8 PINSTRIPED – ($8)
Race 7 is the Group 3 Victoria Handicap and PINSTRIPED looks to be right in this. The Enver Jusufovic-trained galloper has had the two runs this time in and has worked home well in both of those, finishing 3rd behind Not An Option over the 1400m at Flemington in the most recent of those. The four-year-old meets that horse 1kg better at the weights and at the same time of his last preparation he was a big improver on benchmark figures when landing just over two lengths from Tuvalu in the Toorak Handicap (1600m). He will tuck away from barrier 5 and pace looks genuine, which should suit.