Hi all,

Inside today's main piece you can read my thoughts on two of the races on ITV on Saturday afternoon.

It’s a cracking final day of the 2023-24 NH season at Sandown. Plenty of big fields for the handicaps with maximum fields declared for the handicap hurdle that opens the card and the bet365 Gold Cup.

You can watch the best of the action from Sandown on ITV Racing, along with one race each from Leicester and Haydock.

I previewed the Sandown ITV races in Wednesday & Thursday’s columns. That means there’s no need to look at them again. Just to say all my fancies have been declared.

The field sizes for the handicaps at Haydock and Leicester, which will be televised on ITV, are not as large as those at Sandown.

Here’s a quick look at both races.

Haydock

It’s dried out to soft at Haydock.

2:45 – trustatrader.com Handicap (Class 2) – 7f

At Haydock, Irish contender Earls leads the betting after an impressive second-place finish at the Curragh last weekend. Equally effective at 7f, he's drawn well and should be in contention. Rainbow Fire, last year's winner, is down to a winnable mark but may struggle on the softer ground.

Gweedore and Roach Power also have strong chances. The first named is 3lb above last winning mark but has won first time up for the last two seasons and Rossa Ryan is an eyecatching jockey booking. Tacarib Bay and Zip are likely to be competitive. Tacarib Bay is 2 from 3 at Haydock with both wins coming on soft ground. Meanwhile Zip is back over his right distance and if gets a decent pace to chase he won’t be far away.

Leicester

It’s soft at Leicester and there could be 2mm of rain on Saturday.

2:05 – Madri Excepcional King Richard III Cup Handicap (Class 2) – 1m

In Leicester's King Richard III Cup Handicap, Al Mubhir seeks back-to-back wins but faces competition from the likes of Raadobarg, Magic Memories, and Thunder Roar.

Dashing Roger only beat home one rival in last Saturday’s Spring Cup at Newbury last Saturday, but he can be excused that run as the ground was too quick for him. He’s a C&D winner and is 3 from 3 on heavy ground so has his optimum conditions. Much better expected here and he’s a lively outsider.

If you're interested in my Saturday selections, as well as my picks for the Newmarket Guineas Festival, Chester, and York Dante Meetings, you can find them here.

Saturday Selection:

If the ground hasn’t dried out at Leicester, I’m happy to take a swing at Dashing Roger. However, he does need soft or heavy ground. My idea of the best bet on Saturday is Nickel Back at Sandown (4:45).  I gave the latter a good mention on Thursday and he’ll be hard to peg back on genuinely good ground.

Leicester

2:05 – Dashing Roger – 16/1 @ Coral & Ladbrokes.

Good luck with your Saturday bets.

John