ITV Racing Tips: Picks From Sandown & Musselburgh

Although most eyes are across the Irish Sea focused on the Dublin Racing Festival, there is still ITV Racing to get stuck into in Britain for punters glued to the terrestrial action. Billy Grimshaw has a tip apiece from Sandown and Musselburgh and makes the case here...

13:43 Musselburgh

There are few who pay attention to British racing that would not deduce that Christian Williams is a wonderful racehorse trainer, however, the fact he has taken a horse from the red hot Dan Skelton operation and improved him out of sight is arguably the biggest feather in his cap thus far. WILLIETHEBUILDER was incredibly highly thought of as a youngster coming through with the Skelton team but for one reason or another, they could just never quite get him right.

Reluctantly, they agreed with the owner that a change would do the horse good and since heading to Wales with Williams, this seven year old hasn't looked back. Bumping into the graded class winner Lanesborough three starts ago when beaten comfortably by over eight lengths but staying on eye-catchingly to pinch second from a mile back, it has been plain sailing on his next two outings.

Both have resulted in comfy successes on good ground at Kempton and with Musselburgh notoriously one of the best draining tracks in Britain, good to soft is the worst they are expecting come Saturday. With the track also tight and favouring speed, this looks another inspired bit of placing from Williams. I don't think this horse is close to the ceiling of his ability and would not be surprised to see him backed in from the general 3/1 I see as I write this article. With a handy 5lbs claimer in Toby McCain-Mitchell on his back, he looks primed to rack up a hat-trick.

The chief danger to his three timer bid - and I'll apologise now for the lack of originality - comes from co-favourite Afadil for Paul Nicholls, a horse with good form at this meeting. He will feel like he's floating round here with just ten stone 2 and Freddie Keighley's seven pound claim to aid him, however I think Williethebuilder is the classier animal and providing he is not left with too much to do after being ridden chilly, which can happen at Musselburgh, he should be able to see off the course specialist.

14:40 Sandown - Scilly Isles Novices' Chase

For all the majority of Willie Mullins' attention will be on home soil at Leopardstown, he will most certainly be tuning into this contest one way or another - and he may well be stood side by side at a television screen with the trainer of his horse's big market rival in this Sandown feature Gordon Elliott. The market believes this race will be won by one of the two Irish raiders, with Mullins sending KITZBUHEL and Elliott the mare Kala Conti.

There was no fluke about the latter's easy dismissal of Kargese last time out, which if taken literally would make her a real live chance for the Mares' Chase if that is the way she's going. My worry, however, is that Kargese is all speed and the extra almost a furlong which she had to contend with on soft ground put paid to her chances. Gordon Elliott has always thought the world of his mare and maybe in time she will emerge as a better horse all round than Kargese, but I'm not sure either of them are in the same league as the evens favourite Kitzbuhel.

Regular readers will know what a big fan of Harry Cobden I am and so seeing him booked for this Mullins hotpot is brilliant news and after his stunning Kempton success in the Kauto Star, I would not have imagined he'd be hovering around even money next time out in a race like this. Granted he has to give the second favourite seven pounds, which doesn't help, and the stiff Sandown finish on rain softened ground will be a different test to good ground at Kempton, but the manner of his Kauto Star win took my breath away.

This lad is a big brute of a horse who will, I'm calling it early, be right in the mix for the 2026 King George. He has soft ground form and jumps like a stag, so the railway fences could well see him put the race to bed if Cobden is confident enough from the front. I would put no one off backing him to upset Final Demand at Cheltenham even, that's how highly I rate him. Sixmilebridge and Miami Magic are the two British representatives, but I imagine both will be outclassed by what could be a very special winner.