Today's Tote Placepot Tips for Sandown

Leg 1 Selections: Top Of The Bill 

TOP OF THE BILL wasn’t disgraced on handicap debut at Newbury last time which has worked out well and should have more to come off a three pounds lower mark. He made the frame in all four bumper starts behind some really good horses and while he’s yet to build on that in this sphere, he retains potential and should be suited to this test with Jordan Nailor taking off three pounds.

Leg 2 Selections: Solo 

The Paul Nicholls-trained SOLO hasn’t won since winning the Grade Two Dovecote on his debut for the champion trainer but there’s no doubt he saves his best form for when fresh and he’s back on the same mark as when narrowly denied on his chase debut. He’s extremely well-treated on the pick of his form, particularly over hurdles, and he drops down in class to boot too. Git Maker and Mumbo Jumbo are fully respected but they need more at this level, while the former saves his best form for right-handed tracks and his fluent jumping should see him flourish over the railway fences. 

Leg 3 Selections: Colonel Harry

COLONEL HARRY ran a huge race on his debut behind the promising Mofasa and with that initial outing likely to have learnt him a lot, this is a good opportunity for Jamie Snowden’s charge to go one place better. He was the only horse able to go with the eventual winner and given the winner followed up in a strong-looking contest at Cheltenham next time, the form looks even stronger than what it did at the time. He could be tough to overhaul with lots more to offer on just his second start under rules. 

Leg 4 Selections: Pic D’Orhy 

PIC D’ORHY steps up to three miles for the first time and while plenty believe he won’t stay, his trainer clearly thinks he will and we know he rarely gets it wrong, so this talented seven-year-old is handed quite a confident vote to make it two-from-two this season. He won the Grade Two Pendil Novices’ Chase in February, beating Millers Bank, and given the second won a Grade 1 afterwards and ran a blinder off top-weight at Carlisle last time behind Beauport, the form has lots of substance. He reappeared with a comfortable victory at Newton Abbot three weeks ago, where he gave subsequent winner Kissesforkatie 23Ib and a beating and is fancied to prove the stamina doubters wrong with success here. 

Leg 5 Selections: Moulins Clermont 

MOULINS CLERMONT has only had the four starts in the UK but he’s won two of them, including one over course-and-distance on heavy ground (same as today) by thirteen lengths. He did very well to beat odds-on favourite Forever William last time and opening handicap debut mark of 125 looks lenient based on that latest victory (runner-up rated 124). He is open to more improvement and both Jamie and Gary Moore always do well here, so this promising four-year-old has to be taken very seriously here with everything in his favour. 

Leg 6 Selections: Ramses De Teillee, Crosspark

The David Pipe team are going great guns at the moment and RAMSES DE TEILLEE has been given a great chance by the handicapper on his return here. He’s got a good record on heavy ground 21217111 and is twelve pounds lower than when beating Yala Enki in a Grade Three Handicap Chase at Cheltenham back in 2020 which came off a mark of 149. He’s dropped to 137 since and this ten-year-old, who’s the choice of Tom Scudamore, I can see this talented grey making a real splash in a veterans chase for the first time here. 

CROSSPARK, the twelve-year-old, has been absent since April last year and makes his stable debut having left Caroline Bailey but he has a good record at this course with figures reading 2226 with the last of those when sixth of 16 in the bet365 Gold Cup. He was narrowly beaten in this race in 2020 off only a pound higher mark and has a good record when fresh too. He could surprise a few at large odds off top-weight here.