Trust Sandown specialist Menuisier to get it right in handicap

Chateau D’If
1.50 Sandown
Buy at 3 on index

David Menuisier doesn’t mess around when it comes to Sandown. The trainer saves his best for the Esher track and has a 30 per cent strike-rate (13-43) there. A £1 bet on all those runners yielded a profit of £34.15, and on those statistics alone Chateau D’If is worth a buy at three.

The three-year-old has plenty to find with the best of these, but he has run only three times and improved with each run. He broke his duck at Fontainebleau last November and bettered that effort in defeat on his reappearance at Doncaster when sixth of 11 in a 7f novice event.

He was beaten five and a half lengths by the winner but was entitled to need that first outing of the season and David Egan takes over in the saddle from 7lb claimer Benoit de la Sayette.

It just looks significant that, of all the races Menuisier could have chosen for Chateau D’If, he has decided to come to Sandown for one of its more prestigious early prizes. That’s enough to convince me this son of Intello might be capable of better than he has shown in three starts.

1.50 Sandown

Sporting (50-25-10) 18-21 Ilza’Eem, 14-17 Rifleman, 10-13 Dingle, 9-12 Naamoos, 8-11 Quintillus, 5-7 Tawaareq, 4-6 Melody Of Life, 3-5 Without Revenge, 2-4 Buxted Too, 1-3 Chateau D’If.

Match bet 0-1 Dingle/Naamoos.

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