Can Champions Day-bound Checkandchallenge take advantage of a drop in class for course specialist William Knight?

Sandown has become one of trainer William Knight’s most successful tracks and in the last five seasons he has saddled five winners, three seconds and two thirds from a total of 27 runners at the course. A £1 bet on all of those horses would have yielded a profit of £36.50.

It therefore probably shouldn’t be a surprise that he appears to have found a nice opportunity for one of his stable stars, Checkandchallenge, at the Esher venue. The five-year-old drops from Group 3 class into Listed company and wasn’t beaten far in the higher grade last time.

Checkandchallenge was only a length and three-quarters behind previous Group 1 runner-up See The Fire in the Strensall Stakes at York on that occasion and Phantom Flight was second. He has won a Listed race himself and there isn’t anything of his or See The Fire’s class here.

A reproduction might be good enough for Checkandchallenge to record his first victory since his Newmarket Listed win last November, but he is exposed compared to some of his rivals.

Cash has run only seven times at the age of five and ran one of his best races of last season at this course when behind Hukum and Desert Crown in fourth in the Brigadier Gerard over a mile and a quarter. He went on to take ninth in the Group 1 Queen Anne after at Royal Ascot.

He didn’t see the course again last year and returned only last month to finish last of four in the August Stakes at Windsor. But that was over nearly a mile and a half and he travelled as well as anything before failing to see out the trip. He is a big player dropping back to a mile.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

Going update

It is good to soft, good in places on Sandown's round course, but warm and dry weather could see conditions quicken slightly.

Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said: "It's been drying, but slowly since we raced last Friday, as it's a different process with autumn ground. It could be good, good to soft in places, but on the deader side of good."

What they say

David Simcock, trainer of Cash
All seems good with him since his comeback at Windsor, and I'd like to think he's stepped forward for that significantly. This trip should be more to his liking, too, and I'm hoping for a nice run.

William Knight, trainer of Checkandchallenge
He's come out of his run in the Strensall Stakes in good nick, and he's entitled to come on for that as it was his first run after being gelded and he only did one piece of work beforehand. Conditions will be fine and I hope he can run a big race as the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is the target again.

Jamie Osborne, trainer of Sean
It's hard to find a race that's going to be a penalty kick, so we're rolling the dice in this. The ten furlongs at this track just stretched his stamina last time, but this stiff mile could be ideal.

Barry Mahon, racing manager to Juddmonte, owners of Skellet
She's had a nice break since her last run in France, where she was a little unlucky to finish second. Ralph Beckett feels she's done well for the break, so we're looking forward to a nice finish to the season. She showed plenty of promise last time and some ease in the ground will bring out more improvement.
Reporting by Matt Rennie

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