DOUBLE HANDFUL

THE British jumps season comes to a climax at Sandown today with the bet365 Gold Cup, a race more open than Sunderland’s back four. We have the smallest field since 2007 with just 13 runners declared.

The Young Master won this contest from the same mark last year but he was specifically trained for the Grand National and I can’t see him recovering from his heavy fall at Aintree.

Plenty of money has come for Just A Par, partly because he won this race two years ago, partly because he was a short-head second last year and partly because he represents Paul Nicholls’ best chance of catching Nicky Henderson in the trainers’ championship.

I’m not so keen, partly because he was a very disappointing 14th in the National and partly because he never runs well when I back him.

Neil Mullholland is set to throw three darts at this race and he holds three very good arrows. Along with The Young Master he runs Druid’s Nephew and Doing Fine, who make up the first three in the betting The best-handicapped horse in the field looks to be Druid’s Nephew, a good 10lbs better off than when he finished fifth last year.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see money coming for the 10-year-old. However, his age counts against him and stable mate Doing Fine, who has four top-two finishes in four runs, is the better bet.

The one I’ll be backing is SUGAR BARON.

He’d be a much shorter price today had he not come a cropper in the first at Ayr in the Scottish Grand National last week.

Poor old Nico De Boinville was on board that day to complete an unfortunate double — he also fell at the first in the Grand National on Cocktails At Dawn.

You’re taking a chance if you back Henderson’s charge as he’s hit the deck twice in his last four starts. But if he stays upright I can’t see him finishing out of the places.