Timeform Radio Tips: Bertie the King of Sandown

David Cleary has two bets lined up for today.

David Cleary reckons he's found a couple of decent bets at Sandown on Friday...

Sandown stages a typical mix of interesting maidens and open, middle-range handicaps, and it's a couple of the latter that offer perhaps the day's best betting options.

The seven-furlong event at 14:10 isn't the best race on the card but it looks a good opportunity for King Bertie to add to his maiden win at Lingfield. Although this is a three-year-old handicap, there are no obvious big improvers in the field, with all the nine set to go to post having run at least once previously in a handicap. Four of the nine are wearing headgear first time, but these are all responses to a below-par run last time out, hardly a positive recommendation. King Bertie, on the other hand, comes here on the back of a good effort in a classified stakes at Nottingham. That has proved a solid piece of form and there are grounds for believing King Bertie can build on what he did there, the way in which his effort petered out in the final furlong suggesting the drop back from a mile this afternoon will be all in this smooth traveller's favour. Although his trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam hasn't had a winner for a while, seven of his fifteen runners in the last three weeks have finished runner-up. Hopefully, King Bertie can be the one to go one better.

The fillies handicap at 15:50 is interesting. Estiqaama has an obvious chance under a penalty for her easy Yarmouth win last week but this is a better race and she probably won't get a soft lead this time. Great Timing and Vanity Rules are closely matched on their Newmarket form last autumn and have potential to improve but their initial marks look stiff and they may well prove ideally suited by further than a mile. Quite a few of the others have doubts about them with regard to trip or going, so it may be worth taking a chance win and place or each way on the more exposed Azma. She has a solid handicap run over a mile on good ground on her most recent start, showing a good attitude when taking third behind the impressive Auction at Newmarket. The winner followed up under a penalty and is headed for Royal Ascot, while the fourth won a handicap next time out and the runner-up was beaten a short head off the same mark at Newbury yesterday. Azma might find one of the others improving too much for her but has a fair bit better chance of taking a place than the market suggests.   

Recommended Bets:
Both at Sandown
Back King Bertie @ 6.611/2 in the 14:10
Back Azma @ 34.033/1 to win and @ 6.411/2 to place in the 15:50 

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