Sandown Preview & Best Bets – Saturday February 11

Adam Cusworth

in Bets of the Day 9 Feb 2023

Our form expert provides Sandown tips for today’s horse racing at Sandown Racecourse and gives his best bets.

Sandown Tips 11/2/2023

BEST BET 🏆

Race 1 No. 6 SO UNUSUAL – ($3.80)

SO UNUSUAL can get off us to a flyer at Sandown. The promising galloper from the the Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable has had six starts for three wins and stepped up to the 2400m on January 7 at Sandown, settling on the speed before edging out Wahine Toa, while there was a bit of a gap back to 3rd. Form out of that race has held up and the son of Unusual Suspect went a very healthy 9.4 lengths faster than standard benchmark, which is better than what any other runner in this race has produced. He might have a bit of upside on some of these and can go on with the job.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 8 No. 5 CORNER POCKET – ($3.60)

The Carlyon Cup is one of the key support races on CF Orr Stakes day and CORNER POCKET should be hard to beat. The Lindsey Smith-trained galloper meets some of the bigger names with a fitness advantage and has been rock solid this preparation. He was a strong winner at Listed level two starts ago in the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes (1400m) at Flemington before sticking on strong with the big weight when a narrow runner-up behind Pounding at Moonee Valley over the 1600m last time. He will settle on the speed for this assignment and should take some chasing down at the business end.

BEST VALUE 💰(EACH-WAY)

Race 7 No. 7 GENTLEMAN ROY – ($7)

The feature of the day is the CF Orr Stakes and GENTLEMAN ROY can give a great sight in the $750,000 Group 1. He enjoys a fitness edge on the five that resume, including I’m Thunderstruck, coming in with a big first up win when leading all the way to claim the John Dillon Stakes (1400m) at Sandown on the same day that Jacquinot claimed the Manfred Stakes (1200m). Gentleman Roy set a personal best that day by going 13.8 lengths faster than standard benchmark, which is the best last start figure of any runner and 10 lengths better than what Jacquinot produced in a slowly run race. He is the obvious leader and there shouldn’t be too much pressure outside of him so the Ben & JD Hayes-trained galloper can make his own luck out in front.