Heroes Handicap Hurdle Tips: Selection In Competitive Affair

A feast of action is coming our way on Saturday afternoon on ITV Racing and one of the more competitive looking affairs comes from Sandown in the Heroes Handicap Hurdle. Billy Grimshaw has a strong each-way recommendation for us...

The place to start in here is surely with the Irish raider Shoot First for Charles Byrnes, who was one of the most marked drifters in recent memory on his penultimate start when opening up at 4/1, touching 28/1 and returning an SP of 22/1 when winning in good style at Haydock. Usually this is a yard where the market speaks volumes so it's safe to say he surprised even those closest to him with that success on bad ground and he earned a shot at graded glory next time out at Ascot in the Long Walk, however he failed to fire. It will be interesting to see which way he goes in the betting today and you'd have to say the expected horrific ground could well be in his favour, but he's no betting proposition at 5/1 to me given all the unknowns and the competitive nature of this race.

Henri The Second is the only horse shorter than him in the betting at the time of writing and it's clear to see why considering his last run saw him cruise to an 18 length win over this C&D when the ground was heavy, as we are expecting on Saturday. He has been whacked pretty hard by the handicapper for that effort and also lose the pounds he was saved by Freddie Gingell's claim last time out with Harry Cobden taking over in the plate, so despite his obvious claims on that run he's another at the prices I'm happy to avoid.

Goshen has looked well and truly gone at the game - with a few notable exceptional performances - since that fateful day at Cheltenham as a juvenile truth be told, and although he is now a known heavy ground lover it'll take a brave punter to back him in here even at 28/1 and bigger. He may well drift to an astronomical price on the exchanges and tempt some more faithful supporters into a small bet, but he's best left alone going forward with his unpredictable profile.

Goshen is not the old man of this race as eleven year old Flight Deck is set to take his chance, albeit he looks weighted out of it and is certainly not the force of old.  These days he does seem to need it soft or worse to get competitive so the ground is a plus, but realistically if he is involved in the shake up at the end it'll probably be down to some of the younger, more progressive horses disappointing rather than him producing a career best from nowhere.

The one who caught my eye and rates a brilliant each-way bet is the expected pace angle for Jonjo and AJ O'Neill. RED DIRT ROAD, who sprung a bit of a surprise in the fog at a rain softened Aintree back around Christmas. Trying to watch that race back is tricky given the conditions, however from what we could see this lightly raced eight year old looked to have gained a new lease of life, jumping with zest and in the end well on top of his rivals to score by four lengths. 

Stepping up in trip again here is the one potential unknown for this lad, especially on heavy ground, but he certainly didn't look to be stopping at Aintree at the finish line so I can't see him not enjoying the test and with his relentless galloping style off the front end he could get plenty of these who lack cruising speed in trouble fairly early, He has won on soft before but not heavy, however Sandown is dry at the moment and could well be soft come the time of this race which would play into his favour. I'd be disappointed were he not in the frame and as such at 8/1 he is the obvious each-way play in the race.