Saturday selections in Ireland and Britain

There is a nine-race ITV Racing offering on Saturday afternoon as they showcase live action from Leopardstown, Musselburgh and Sandown.

The bulk of the action is from Sandown featuring the Heroes Premier Handicap Hurdle and the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase.

The Scottish Triumph Hurdle, County Handicap Hurdle and Champion Chase are the three races to be shown from Musselburgh.

The Grade 1 Irish Gold Cup Chase will also be shown live from the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.

Our racing expert has pondered the ITV action and come up with selections for all nine races.

1.25 Sandown - Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 3, 2m4f)

Venetia Williams went 5-22 in the past 14 days and her representative SOLE SOLUTION makes the most each-way appeal in this nine-runner contest. The seven-year-old is gradually improving over hurdles, arrives 3-4 on a combination of soft and heavy ground, stays this intermediate trip particularly well and an opening mark of 114 is considered workable.

Selection: Sole Solution e/w @ 10/3 with Betfred

1.42 Musselburgh - Scottish Triumph Hurdle (Listed, 1m7.5f)

County Kildare handler Andrew Kinirons is sending over the Starspangledbanner gelding LUKER’S TIPPLE. The selection must have each-way claims once again after reaching second in his first two starts over hurdles at Punchestown and Cork on New Year’s Eve, and 15 days ago. The ground is likely to be riding better on this occasion and that may bring about enough improvement to get right in the mix once again on another right-handed course.

Selection: Luker’s Tipple e/w @ 11/2 with Betfred

2.00 Sandown - Handicap Chase (Class 2, 1m7.5f)

Dan Skelton’s representative ETALON is 4-6 on soft ground, 4-9 over this distance, 4-13 when ridden by Harry Skelton and 2-4 at this time of the year. The eight-year-old achieved a Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 143 when winning over this course and distance in February 2024 off a 4lb lower rating of 131. The Sholokhov gelding is capable of bouncing back successfully from unseating his rider at the seventh fence at Windsor recently.

Selection: Etalon @ 9/4 with Betfred

2.17 Musselburgh - Scottish County Handicap Hurdle (Class 2, 1m7.5f)

REWIRED wouldn’t have been suited by the soft ground when well held at Haydock a fortnight ago but he is considered the best each-way wildcard selection at big odds, on some better ground, on ITV this Saturday afternoon. Tristan Davidson’s representative won off a 10lb higher rating at right-handed Taunton at around this time last year for the Newland and Insole training partnership, and is likely to take a big step back in the right direction for his relatively new yard.

Selection: Rewired ew @ 33/1 with Betfred

2.35 Sandown - Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase (Grade 1, 2m4f)

Nicky Henderson went 8-35 (23%) with his runners in the past 14 days and is 2-6 in this race since 2015 through Top Notch (2017) and Terrefort (2018). Eight winners in that time were officially rated 149+ (8-28 29% +£11.56). Henderson’s 2025 representative JANGO BAIE is 2-4 on soft ground and 2-4 under Nico de Boinville. He is rated 153 and is capable of following up his likeable success on his first start over regulation fences at Cheltenham in December.

Selection: Jango Baie @ 5/6 with Betfred

2.50 Musselburgh - Scottish Champion Chase (Class 2, 2m4.5f)

MARBLE SANDS makes the most each-way appeal in a competitive 12-runner contest. The nine-year-old arrives in a consistent vein of form. He is 5-11 over this distance, 4-8 on good to soft ground, 2-3 at this time of year and 1-1 on this course, including when winning off a 2lb lower rating over this track and trip in February last year. A reproduction of the 151 RPR he achieved on that occasion may suffice.

Selection: Marble Sands e/w @ 5/1 with Betfred

3.07 Sandown - Heroes Premier Handicap Hurdle (Class 1, 2m7.5f)

Paul Nicholls won this race through Topofthegame (2018). His 2025 representative HENRI THE SECOND ran out an easy 18-length winner over this course and distance on heavy ground in December and the second has won since at Ffos Las. The eight-year-old has an 8lb higher rating of 133, but achieved a personal best RPR of 140 on that occasion, and is considered capable of following up.

Selection: Henri The Second @ 7/2 with Betfred

3.30 Leopardstown - Irish Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1, 3m1/2f)

Willie Mullins (4) and Gordon Elliott (2) have trained the last six winners since 2019. Nine winners since 2015 were aged between seven and nine, and seven contested Leopardstown’s Grade 1 3m Savills Chase on their previous start. The nine-year-old gelding GALOPIN DES CHAMPS broke a sequence of nine losing favourites when successful for Mullins in 2023. He went back-to-back in this contest last year and he is taken to complete the hat-trick after last month’s impressive success in the Savills.

Selection: Galopin Des Champs @ 8/15 with Betfred

3.42 Sandown - Masters Handicap Chase (Class 2, 3m)

The Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith training partnership went 5-23 (22%) in the past 14 days and their representative O’CONNELL produced a personal best RPR of 128 when winning the Lincolnshire National by over nine lengths at Market Rasen on Boxing Day. The nine-year-old Westerner gelding is 3-9 on right-handed tracks, 2-6 over this shorter distance and 2-9 on soft ground. A 9lb higher mark may still not be enough to deny this improving hat-trick seeker.

Selection: O’Connell e/w @ 7/2 with Betfred

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