Can 'devastating' Cloudy Glen be tamed in his bid for another National of sorts?

3.00 Sandown
Betfair Exchange Back And Lay London National Handicap Chase | 3m4½f | 5yo+ | ITV4/RTV

For all the race's title evokes big-field charges, this race is no stranger to smallish fields. The seven declared this year is below-average, but only that.

The field can be reasonably split into two groups. There are two unexposed seven-year-olds, Classic Ben and Cloudy Glen, and largely exposed veterans behind.

Cloudy Glen is devastating when he gets it right, as when winning the Southern National by 13 lengths last time, but his darker side as an edgy, free-going type keeps a lid on enthusiasm for him over these marathon trips.

His record includes running out at Cheltenham and a kamikaze mission at Exeter last November, when he seemed totally intractable. He has a tendency to jump left, but took well enough to Sandown to shape best in the Masters here in February – again, he raced keenly and now has another five furlongs to run.

Classic Ben (white sleeves): one of the most unexposed runners in the raceCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Classic Ben was favourite for the void running of this race last year, only to fall at the eighth. That was his first attempt at the extreme trip that should suit him so well and he ran one of the races of his life over 3m4f at Haydock three weeks later.

Doing Fine got due compensation for 'winning' the void race last year at Cheltenham on New Year's Day and he, along with Crosspark, are the form pair among the older horses.

The ground may end up testing enough for Regal Flow, but more interesting is Shanroe Santos, who has become well handicapped and ran his best race for a while when third over three miles on good ground at Huntingdon last month.

An extreme test on softer ground is ideal for him and Harry Cobden now takes the ride. He might not be as likely a winner as Classic Ben or Cloudy Glen, but may have stronger claims this his price implies.
Analysis by Keith Melrose

Doing Fine seeks overdue London National win

Connections of Doing Fine are fully entitled to feel their horse's London National luck will change this year.

The soon-to-be-teenage staying chaser was beaten a neck by Rocky Creek when a well-backed favourite in 2016, finished a creditable fourth the following year, and crossed the line in front – only to suffer the consequences of a void race – 12 months ago.

Reacting to the deployment of a yellow flag before the third-last, seven jockeys still in contention, including the rider of Doing Fine, elected to go around the fence before rejoining the chase course to jump the final two obstacles and complete.

After a near 30-minute inquiry, in which time punters and connections of those horses who had finished the race were left in the dark, the race was ultimately voided by the stewards as per the rules in a yellow-flag situation.

The seven jockeys who received ten-day bans later had their appeals upheld and suspensions quashed following an independent disciplinary hearing into the Sandown race.

The Neil Mulholland-trained Doing Fine bounced back to land a valuable staying handicap chase at Cheltenham on New Year's Day, and was also successful at Uttoxeter in August.

"It was very unfortunate what happened last year," Mulholland said. "He ran well last time out at Fontwell on heavy ground, and I'm hoping he can pick up a bit more prize-money.

"It will be his fourth time in the race, and he should run well again. The 7lb that Millie Wonnacott takes off his back will help him. She is good value for her claim."

Saturday tips from our experts:

Tom Segal with his best bets for the high-quality cards at Aintree and Sandown (Members' Club subscribers)

'He has a superb record here' – Graeme Rodway with a strong fancy at Sandown (Members' Club subscribers)

The Punt Daily: Tom Collins' free horse racing tips on Saturday afternoon

Saturday's free racing tips: insight from Racing Post's team of experts

What they say

Venetia Williams, trainer of Cloudy Glen
It's a more competitive race than the one he won at Fontwell last time. I was very happy with that first run over the trip and I hope he continues to be progressive.

Caroline Bailey, trainer of Crosspark
The ground will be plenty soft enough for him but he's already run two solid races this season. He stays and jumps, and it's a question of whether he's good enough to give the weight away. The trip won't be a problem as he won over four miles at Newcastle.

Stuart Edmunds, trainer of Classic Ben
I'm very happy with him. He had a good prep run at Exeter and has won round Sandown before. The rain will have helped.

Lucy Wadham, trainer of Shanroe Santos
It's a nice, small field. He knows his way around Sandown and has a lovely racing weight. I thought he ran well at Huntingdon last month – the ground was too quick for him and the trip too sharp. If you can catch him right he'll run a nice race.
Reporting by Richard Birch

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