Popular Snow Leopardess primed for veterans' final with rain set to hit Sandown

Charlie Longsdon believes the forecast rain this week will bode well for Snow Leopardess as she bids to land the Veterans' Chase Series Final (3.00) at Sandown.

The 11-year-old failed to claim back-to-back victories in the Becher Chase last month, finishing eighth after leading for much of the race under Brian Hughes.

However, Longsdon believes his stable star has improved from the run and will thrive in the likely testing ground as she makes her first start at Sandown in the £100,000 event.

"She's come on a lot since her run at Aintree and with a wet week ahead it should all be to her liking," Longsdon said.

"She prefers softer ground than she had at Aintree but she was upsides over the second-last and I was delighted with her that day. She was meant to have a prep run in November but it all went wrong, though it did mean she qualified for Saturday's final.

"I like to think the track will suit her and the handicapper has given her a chance. If she can get into a nice rhythm you'd have to hope she'd go well.

"These races are getting stronger and stronger every year but she's got plenty of class on her side. There's fantastic prize-money and it's a brilliant series – a great opportunity for these older horses to shine."

Charlie Longsdon believes Snow Leopardess will be suited to SandownCredit: Steve Davies

Snow Leopardess is a general 9-2 second favourite behind Ramses De Teillee for the 3m contest and her preference for soft ground could prove vital, with up to 10mm of rain forecast at Sandown on Saturday morning.

Conditions remained soft on the hurdles course and soft, good to soft in places on the chase course on Wednesday, but clerk of the course Andrew Cooper warned there is "every probability" conditions could turn heavy on the morning of the meeting.

"The vast majority of the hurdles track is currently soft but a couple of places in insolation you might call heavy," Cooper said. "The chase course is definitely better in the latter half of the back straight, which is typical for Sandown.

"What is key is what happens on Saturday. At the moment it's forecast to be wet here, in the vicinity of 10mm. If you add 10mm to conditions now you probably are going to be calling the hurdles track heavy and the chase track perhaps soft, heavy in places.

"It's becoming a habit of being wet at this meeting and there's every probability that we're going to be heavy over hurdles. If that rain happens, it's almost inevitable."

Ground conditions could also dictate the remainder of Snow Leopardess' season, with another Grand National bid on decent going unlikely.

However the in-form Longsdon, who has scored with three of his last six runners, is mulling over the possibility of sending the mare to the Cheltenham Festival.

"We'd only think about the Grand National again if the ground was soft but she might have a little go at the Cross Country Chase," he said.

"We want to go schooling at Cheltenham after this weekend and see how she takes to the fences. Being owned by the Fox-Pitts, they've schooled her over fences like that in the past and it might be the sort of thing that suits her. I really like the idea."

Unibet Veterans' Handicap Chase (3.00 Sandown, Saturday)

Paddy Power: 7-2 Ramses De Teillee, 9-2 Snow Leopardess, 7 Dingo Dollar, Coo Star Sivola, 8 Prime Venture, Saint Xavier, 10 Ballyandy, Up Helly Aa King, 12 bar

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