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Feels like quite a while since we’ve had an update but we’re back with a bang this weekend with the hugely competitive Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown. This will hopefully set us up nicely for the week ahead at Cheltenham and for those of you that still haven’t ordered Paul Jones’ updates for the Festival there’s still time! Simply click here and order away!

PADDY POWER IMPERIAL CUP – Sandown, March 13th 2010

With a maximum field set to go to post this won’t be easy. However, the trends have potentially thrown up a solid option or two so let’s see how it goes. The younger generation tend to dominate this and so we need to focus on those horses in their first season over timber (if they’re a novice then so much the better). Couple this stat with a top three finish last time out and a weight of less than 11st and we’re going to be on the right track.

SHORTLIST
QASPAL
PISTOLET NOIR
(PRESS THE BUTTON)

CONCLUSION
The Philip Hobbs record of 0-2-9 in this race isn’t perhaps the greatest but then again this is a super competitive event. QASPAL has won both his last two starts and so rocks up here looking for the hat-trick. With him also being a novice he seemingly ticks the important boxes for this event and although his price is pretty short he is impossible to leave out of calculations.

PISTOLET NOIR gives us a bit of a headache as Ruby [Walsh] has chose to ride Pepe Simo over him yet he does outperform his stable mate on the trends. Being a novice, who finished in the first two last time out, means he goes to the top of the shortlist and with him being a four-year-old it’s another positive. He has been turned over at odds-on in both his last two starts so will need to really return to form if he’s to figure but this is his first run in handicap company and the big field may have the right affect on him. Pepe Simo, according to the trends, has too much weight but we can at least forgive him the lack of a top three finish last time out seeing as it came in Grade 1 open company. He looks to have leading claims but for us there are better trends performances.

PRESS THE BUTTON is next best on the trends. He was last seen finishing second in Listed company and this interesting novice could be a player here at a tasty 16/1. Formally a useful flat horse he has impressed in winning two hurdle races before not being disgraced when upped in grade next time.

As you would expect for a race such as this quite a few hit the bar on the trends, namely PEPE SIMO, TOCCA FERRO and CHESHIRE PRINCE. However our shortlist looks pretty strong and I’m happy with the end result.