Betfair Imperial Cup – Sandown Park – Saturday 11th March

It seems that those wanting some moisture to gives us some safe jumping ground across the country, have been doing one rain/snowdance too many!

Sandown Park’s Imperial Cup card on Saturday is now in a bit of doubt – but what is not in doubt is that the prevailing ground on the hurdles course will be heavy.

I wanted to put up a couple of bets for the Betfair Imperial Cup at 2.25 on Saturday earlier in the week, but neither the prices nor the place terms were that appealing. Thankful for waiting until after declarations, I am now in a position where I can offer up some decent prices about two horses who have leading claims, will love the heavy ground, and each-way terms can stretch to 5, 6 and even 7 places with SkyBet.

Paul Nicholls is always one of the first ports of call when it comes to big Saturday races, and it looks a long-term plan to have got Iceo to this race, on the back of a prep run over course and distance two weeks ago.

Iceo burst on to the juvenile hurdling scene last year with a spectacular win on debut for the Ditcheat handler, before backing it up with solid runs in Graded company at Cheltenham and then being eye-catchingly strong at the finish in last season’s Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle, a form line which has worked out to be very strong.

At 17/2 each-way with William Hill for 6 places, Iceo could emerge as a horse who has claims to being better than a handicapper, and so must be backed to provide Nicholls with yet another big Saturday winner.

What is clear from how he hits the ground, is that Iceo is going to find himself well within his comfort zone on the heavy terrain, and if you watch back his pipe opener two weeks ago, then it becomes clear that he was much better than the bare form of that run.

Kept wide in search of better ground maybe, or some clear air at his hurdles, either way Iceo gave up shedloads of ground to the re-opposing Hardy Du Seuil and Djelo, on a day when the Sandown Park hurdles course perhaps didn’t show it’s usual pattern of favouring wide racers.

To me, it smacked of a run to get the freshness off Iceo, not slam his handicap mark, but also give him a sighter of the track. A box ticking exercise that has been accomplished with usual aplomb by the multiple champion trainer.

The other horse to back is the perennial mud loving galloper Metier, who won the Grade 1 Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle over course and distance a couple of seasons ago, and since then has been masterfully placed by Harry Fry to win two extremely valuable pots at Lingfield Park’s Winter Million meeting, and also Doncaster’s November Handicap on the flat.

To look at his two runs this season, Metier would initially lead you to believe it will take a flight of fancy to suggest he emerges in the requisite form to win this race. But in the Christmas Hurdle, which was his first run of the year anyhow, he backed off a couple of hurdles down the back when the low sun was noticeably playing havoc with a few horses on that section of the track.

While he can be forgiven that run, many might not like the fact that his subsequent start was an 8^th of 8 finish on the all-weather at Kempton Park. However, look at how deep that race was, see how small a distance Metier was beaten that day, and you could easily suggest that needs no forgiving whatsoever!

At 11/1 each-way with Paddy Power or Betfair Sportsbook for 5 places (or 9/1 with William Hill for 6 places), Metier has already proven himself to be a class above what is a field big on numbers, but maybe not quite so plentiful, on horses with live chances.