Sandstormers: Maverik can be the Top Gun

Matt adds three horses to the Sandstormers list.

Timeform's Matt Gardner comes bearing good news with the latest update to our regular Sandstormers column...

Sandstormers is off the mark! It may have taken a little while in terms of time (just under two months since we kicked off this column), but the Paul Cole-trained Stormbound was only our tenth runner. The motive behind including him in the column was that he would improve in handicaps, having gone close in that sphere on his penultimate start, Cole stuck him in a maiden against a well-fancied John Gosden representative and he duly landed the spoils at 2/1. The four-year-old didn't enjoy the clearest of runs through at Wolverhampton and, for a while, it appeared that he was going to be a hard luck story but jockey Raul da Silva managed to extricate him in time to win by a length. He is likely to continue in form, will go back into handicaps off just a 2 lb higher mark than his initial one, which seems more than fair, and he holds an entry at Lingfield on February 3 over a mile. 

Premature celebrations can be highly amusing (click HERE to see the Japanese fans rejoicing as Orfevre appeared to seal the Arc) but I was kicking myself having punched the air a furlong out as Jack My Boy looked set to win at Lingfield, only to be mown down by the Peter Hedger-trained Sister Guru, who caused a surprise by winning at 33/1. Jack My Boy is on a long losing run, stretching back to May 2010, but he looks capable of getting back on the scoresheet.

Gung Ho Jack had his second outing since being added to the list and, like on the first occasion, bumped into the William Haggas-trained Polar Venture who has the potential to make up into a useful sprint handicapper. Gung Ho Jack ran creditably but appeared to be beaten on merit having been better positioned that a few, and it may just be that he has little in hand from his present mark. 

Our only other runner in the last week was Compton Crofter, who put up his best performance yet on the figures to finish second at Kempton over a mile last night. He was nibbled at in the market, sent off at 10/1 having been available at 16s earlier in the day, and as expected was suited by running at shorter than a mile and a half but he never really had a chance to get on terms with the runaway winner Litmus. He is definitely of interest however from this sort of mark, and he holds an entry over 10 furlongs at Kempton next week, a distance which could prove ideal. 

Time to top up our list of horses to follow, starting with the Pat Phelan-trained Bubbly Braveheart. The six-year-old hasn't won since April 2011 but, returning from a nine-month absence, didn't shape too badly on his penultimate start at Lingfield. He failed to build on that last time at Kempton but he travelled strongly to lead upon entering the straight but seemed stretched by the 12 furlongs faced that day, a distance at which he has never convinced with his stamina. He is potentially well treated on a BHA mark of 51 and looks capable of getting his head in front once more if returned to a mile and a quarter. 

Haywain is the next addition to the list and fear not that the four-year-old hasn't achieved anything obviously of note in six starts to date. His two efforts since being returned to the all-weather have been more encouraging, possibly in need of the run on his penultimate outing before improving upon that, in first-time blinkers, earlier this month over a mile and half a furlong. The four-year-old was driven around the home turn but stuck to his task well and ought to be suited by a return to at least nine furlongs, ideally further, and his front-running style of racing could be perfectly suited to racing at the soon to be re-opened Southwell; the suspicion is that he can prove capable of defying a BHA mark of 64 given that he remains relatively unexposed. 

The final one to add this week is Maverik, trained by Ralph Beckett, who returned from a three month absence with an excellent effort in defeat at Lingfield. The five-year-old has gained three of his five career wins on the all-weather, two of which came at this sort of time last year, and with his stable in excellent form he looks to have a decent chance of repeating the success this time around. 

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