Saturday 7th January 2017

We were very pleased with Included debut effort for us at Lingfield earlier in the week. She showed plenty of ability and was still travelling nicely when getting a bump 3 out. Included got very tired in the last furlong as you would expect on her first start for 400 odd days. We can’t wait to get her over hurdles later in the year.

Tough racing today and little stands out, Sandown is the feature meeting but I’m struggling to find selections as the handicaps look so tight.

The only horse I’ve backed today is Lifeboat Mona in the 12:45. I think her form is better than her rivals and a repeat of the Ascot effort last time out could well be good enough. Her price of 9-4 looks ok.

I’m looking forward to watching Finian’s Oscar in the Tolworth Hurdle. If you believe what you read this horse could be the second coming. The drop down in trip could be a worry as Finian’s Oscar looked a strong stayer on debut and has already won a 3 miles p2p in Ireland. Purchased for £250,000, Finian’s Oscar might be the real deal if he can beat Capitaine over a trip that looks short of his best on just his second start.