Matt Chapman’s ITV Racing Tips: Sandown & Wolverhampton – Saturday Selections
Saturday’s ITV Racing coverage splits between Sandown and Wolverhampton, and leading pundit Matt Chapman has offered his selections for the day’s action. Chapman highlighted several horses he believes offer value across the two venues, with Two Tempting standing out as a particularly interesting contender in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton.
Chapman’s picks span a range of races, from hurdles to flat handicaps, offering a diverse set of options for viewers. His selections reflect a mix of established performers and potential up-and-comers, with an emphasis on horses he believes are well-positioned in their respective races. He’s identified potential each-way opportunities as well as horses he feels have a strong chance of winning outright.
Sandown Selections
The action begins at Sandown with the novices’ handicap hurdle at at 13:50. Chapman is backing Laguna Beach (each-way). He notes that a mistake two out hampered the horse at Ascot last time, but believes Laguna Beach has the potential to improve, particularly given his staying ability. The horse is up 4lb for the defeat but was giving away 6lb to a useful prospect that day, and Chapman suspects he has more to give, suggesting an each-way chance for trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Nico de Boinville.
Later at Sandown, in the Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle at 14:27, Chapman is siding with No Ordinary Joe. He believes the horse is “a crazy price” given a better run at Ascot last time, where he came to win and then weakened close home. No Ordinary Joe is down another 1lb and has a history of performing well in similar races, including a win at Sandown in a bumper and placing in the Greatwood and Martin Pipe. Chapman suggests the horse could be “chucked in” if building on that Ascot effort, with Benjamin Macey riding for Faye Bramley.
The final Sandown selection comes in the 15:00 race, with Burds Of A Feather. Chapman acknowledges some uncertainty but suggests the mare could be competitive if she settles well, having shown promise in a recent win at Warwick.
Wolverhampton Insights
Switching to Wolverhampton, the first ITV race is a handicap over 6f at 14:05, where Chapman is recommending Silky Wilkie. He believes the horse is well handicapped on his best form and good enough to be in the mix. Silky Wilkie went up 4lb for winning here two runs ago but remained in good form off a mark of 86 when fourth at Southwell. He has a good draw and Jack Nicholls takes off a useful 5lb.
The Lincoln Trial Handicap over an extended 1m at 14:42 sees Chapman favouring Two Tempting. He believes the horse looks overpriced for trainer Jonny Portman and jockey Rob Hornby. Two Tempting beat the re-opposing First Principle at Kempton in November, giving that rival 10lb, and is now 5lb better off. He ran well in a Listed contest he couldn’t win last time and has a good draw.
In the Listed Lady Wulfruna Stakes over 7f at 15:15, Chapman is suggesting Witch Hunter as a potential contender. Despite his age, Chapman believes the seven-year-old remains a potent threat in races like this. He won at Newcastle two runs ago and was competitive off a mark of 105 in Listed company last time. Chapman expects Witch Hunter to finish well if a strong pace develops, with Joe Leavy and Richard Hannon in charge.
The final selection of the day, at 15:35, is Invincible Nao (each-way) in a handicap chase over 3m at Sandown. Chapman feels the 4lb drop in rating for a recent defeat at Ascot seems like an overreaction from the handicapper. Prior to that, Invincible Nao was a good third at Lingfield off today’s rating of 124 and has good course form, suggesting an each-way chance for Josh & Gary Moore and jockey Caoilin Quinn.
Chapman’s selections offer a diverse range of options for punters tuning into ITV Racing on , covering both the hurdles action at Sandown and the flat racing at Wolverhampton.