RIO GRAND Ronaldo on right track to hit the target for Murphy at Sandown
RIO RONALDO can add to his impressive strike-rate at Sandown with a victory in the 188Bet Handicap (1.50) this afternoon.
The six-year-old, trained by Mike Murphy (above), has made the frame each time he has raced over Sandown’s five-furlong course, having a victory, a close fourth and a nose defeat to show from three visits.
The near-miss – at the hands of the Henry Candysaddled Vibrant Chords – was on his penultimate start, and it would be no surprise to see Fran Berry’s mount bounce back to form after a noshow when last of 13 at Windsor last time out.
Veracious looks set to start a hot favourite for the Group 3 188Bet Atalanta Stakes (3.00), but the hotpot is taken on LAUGH ALOUD. with
Trained for Godolphin by John Gosden, the daughter of Dubawi has been off games since a five-length supremacy in the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Derby day at Epsom last year.
James Doyle’s mount had the time anoraks chirruping with excitement that afternoon and her subsequent layoff means she escapes a penalty on her return to the fray.
The 188Bet-sponsored handicap (2.25) looks trappy, NOT SO SLEEPY but staged a return to form when second at Ayr 19 days ago and is well treated on his old form.
Elsewhere, the Listed Chester Stakes (3.15) looks DURETTO best left to (below).
Andrew Balding’s son of Manduro goes well on the Roodee and steps down in class after a three-quarter-length second to Best Solution in the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket last time out. Roger Varian’s DAIRA PRINCE
is worth another chance in Chester’s opening handicap (2.05).
He failed to show his true colours in a bigmoney event at Sandown last time but previous successes at Nottingham and Ripon showed him to be a horse on the up.
After a neck defeat at York’s Ebor Festival a week last FINAL VENTURE Wednesday, is poised to go one better in the Listed William Hill Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes (2.45).