Sandown Placepot picks: Paul Kealy's perm for the £150,000 guaranteed pool

It might not be the wisest move banking on a hurdling debutant for the Placepot, but Peking Opera, third to Vauban in a Group 3 on his last start, has been supported for the Triumph Hurdle and should be capable of a top-three finish at least in a soft opener (12.50) at Sandown.

The following handicap (1.25) is considerably harder and I'm minded to leave Jingko Blue out as his form is nothing special set against his early price.

Onethreefivenotout is learning on the job and should appreciate the trip, while Zain Nights, a stayer on the Flat, has already proved himself at it.

If In Excelsis Deo puts in a half-decent round of jumping, he ought to go very close in the third (2.00), but I think the Grade 1 novice chase (2.35) is trickier than the odds suggest.

Hermes Allen is obviously the one to beat, but there isn't that much between any of these and I'm going to take a chance on Le Patron and Colonel Harry, who were first and second here in the Henry VIII over 1m7½f and will have no problems with the extra distance.

Transmission is the main fancy in the following handicap hurdle (3.10), but it's undoubtedly tricky. West Balboa is back on her favoured ground and is now double the price to win this handicap off 143 than she was in a Grade 1 at Ascot last time, while Saint Davy will prove better than his mark if he brushes up his jumping.

Certainly Red is the main fancy in the last (3.45), but I'm going to add a couple of others. Bangers And Cash ran his best race of the season last time, while Moroder is now 1lb lower than when second in the bet365 Gold Cup.

He's an outsider here, but now races in a tongue-tie and it would not be that much of a surprise to see him hit a bit of form back here.

Sandown Placepot perm

12.50
8 Peking Opera

1.25
4 Onethreefivenotout
7 Zain Nights

2.00
4 In Excelsis Deo

2.35
1 Colonel Harry
4 Le Patron

3.10
1 West Balboa
7 Saint Davy
10 Transmission

3.45
3 Moroder
4 Certainly Red
6 Bangers And Cash

1x2x1x2x3x3 = 36 lines

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