'This has been on the radar for a long time' - golden oldies take centre stage

Saturday: 3.00 Sandown
Unibet Veterans' Handicap Chase (Final of the 2021 Veterans Chase Series) | 3m | 10yo+ | ITV4/RTV

For a long time, the veterans' chase series did not follow the pattern of certain other series that ran through the jumps season, with the qualifying races valuable prizes and therefore often as attractive to runners as the final.

Things are slightly different now. Of the 13 declared runners in this season's final, 11 ran in just one qualifier. For seven of them, it was one of the last four in the 12-race qualifying series. It is fair to infer that a good number of these horses have been laser-focused on the final.

Four of the 13 got qualified at the last available opportunity, in a race at Haydock five weeks ago won by Blaklion. Only one of the four, Aso, completed. He finished second and has been favourite for the final all week.

On pure form the well-treated Aso is a logical favourite, all the more so given Blaklion has since gone in again. But the great appeal of veterans' races is that we know plenty about the runners. Aso has always jumped left and has generally looked to be at the end of his tether whenever he runs over 3m or further. Soft ground at Sandown, with more rain forecast for Saturday, hardly presents a golden opportunity to change that.

Of the other three to come from that Haydock race, Prime Venture makes most appeal for all that he bled. This is a step down from assignments such as the Welsh Grand National. It does not dissuade that he has form in marathons (like previous winners Houblon Des Obeaux, Jepeck, Pete The Feat and Seeyouatmidnight), nor even that he is an Evan Williams-trained hold-up horse with a poor win record, like 2018 winner Buywise.

The other best-represented qualifier is leg nine, which was run over course and distance in early November. Wandrin Star won the race and this has the look of a well-laid plan for a horse who has always gone well fresh. That run was his first of the season and he has been given almost nine weeks to recover. Connections have tried the short-break strategy before. It has never been quite as successful as the eight-months-off-and-have-a-wind-op route employed before his last run.

Two of the other qualifiers from that race, Dancing Shadow and Gwencily Berbas, filled the places and both have run since in a marathon at Exeter. Gwencily Berbas relished the trip and won by a clear margin. He has never been as good a chaser as a hurdler, so the combination of going slowly and jumping soft fences might have helped. The latter point should raise some concern back at Sandown, but as already discussed the mere fact he is a newly discovered plodder need not rule out another big run here.
Race analysis by Keith Melrose

Writ out to make headlines

Kayley Woollacott had a taste of the big time with Lalor, but he has since departed, leaving the trainer on the lookout for a headline-making horse.

Victory for The Kings Writ would probably not be front-page news, but Woollacott may welcome a few column inches and said: "He's been a lovely servant to us but the handicapper has never been very kind.

"He probably goes there on one of the lowest weights he's been on for a long time, so if he puts in a run with some of his form from last year we'd expect him to go well."

Woollacott, a Grade 1-winning trainer thanks to the Aintree success of Lalor, who is now with Paul Nicholls, added: "The soft ground won't bother him and he should stay well."

'He's full of it' – Pete The Feat thriving in new home at Racehorse Sanctuary

What they say

Harry Fry, trainer of Sir Ivan
He's too consistent for his own good and seems a bit of a marker horse for the handicapper as he doesn't seem to get dropped sufficiently to give him a real chance of winning, but he retains all his enthusiasm and ran a great race in this last year, finishing third. If he can replicate that, we'd be delighted.

Fergal O'Brien, trainer of Final Nudge
He won a similar contest at Warwick last time and is very well in himself. We're looking forward to running him. I hope we don't get too much more rain because he's not the biggest in the world, but he has got form on soft/heavy ground. It would be a lot easier for him if it wasn't bottomless. He's in good form and Paddy [Brennan] gets on well with him.

Richard Newland, trainer of Dashing Perk
He loves Sandown. Three miles has always been a bit of a question mark but I'm hopeful he'll get it all right. We've had this race on the radar for a long time but everyone else has too, so it's competitive.

Evan Williams, trainer of Prime Venture
He bled from the nose last time but it was something of nothing. The more rain they get, the better because he wouldn't have the class of a lot of them, but on his day he stays exceptionally well. The harder the conditions become, the more it will suit him.

Richard Hobson, trainer of Valadom
He was ridden by a very inexperienced rider last time and he went into the ditch down the back five lengths clear and came out of it two lengths down. He still finished third but had he not made that mistake he would have probably gone a lot closer. I've been getting a bit of grief for not running him around Sandown sooner as the track suits him. I always felt that he's better left-handed and that's one of the reasons we hadn't gone there before. He seemed to handle it okay last time. He was a little bit left-handed at one fence, the first down the back straight, but after that he pretty much jumped like a buck.
Reporting by James Burn

Saturday's race previews:

1.50 Sandown: trainer sees 'no negatives' for our expert's fancy in competitive handicap chase

2.25 Sandown: 'I hope it wasn't a flash in the pan' – Nicky Henderson on Constitution Hill

2.40 Wincanton: 'Absolute star' Getalead gunning for fourth win for up-and-coming yard

3.15 Wincanton: former Grade 1 winner Slate House returns to chasing off a career-low mark

3.35 Sandown: which handicap hurdler does the trainer believe to be 'very well handicapped'?

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