Sandown Placepot picks: Paul Kealy chases the £250k guaranteed pot

There are some small fields to negotiate if you're going for a slice of the guaranteed £250,000 Placepot pool at Sandown, but it doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

A chance is taken with a banker in the first (12.35), though, as Chasing Fire has looked very useful in taking his overall record to 4-4 by winning his two hurdles starts by wide margins.

Twinjets looks the one to beat in the next (1.10), but Hot Rod Lincoln is potentially very well treated on the form of his hurdles debut, and while you have to forgive a couple of poor runs since, this is his handicap debut in a first-time tongue-tie.

You'd be mad to leave Dolos out in the race named after him (1.45), but Third Time Lucki has his ground now, a very tempting mark and guaranteed pace to aim at, so he ought to be very dangerous.

Gordon Elliott will have been keen to split up Gerri Colombe and Mighty Potter, so he heads to Sandown with the former in the Scilly Isles (2.20), leaving the latter for Leopardstown on Sunday.

However, the only race he has mentioned for Gerri Colombe at Cheltenham is the 3m6f National Hunt Chase, and then only if the ground is soft. He has 2m4f here on ground that won't be far off good, so I can take him on.

Balco Coastal, a runaway winner in handicap company last time, and Thunder Rock, possibly better suited to decent ground than Monmiral, are my two.

I'll go three-handed in the big handicap hurdle (2.55) with the in-form Remastered, last year's winner Green Book, and the prolific Storm Nelson, a very rare runner at the track for Sandy Thomson.

You could make a case for loads in the final heat (3.30), but my three against the field would be Castle Robin, dual course winner Larry and Flegmatik, who is a big price but can go well on decent ground.

Sandown Placepot picks

12.35
1 Chasing Fire

1.10
1 Twinjets
4 Hot Rod Lincoln

1.45
1 Dolos
3 Third Time Lucki

2.20
1 Balco Coastal
5 Thunder Rock

2.55
4 Remastered
9 Green Book
10 Storm Nelson

3.30
4 Flegmatik
6 Larry
10 Castle Robin

1x2x2x2x3x3=72 lines

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