Horse racing tips for Sandown: Dave Nevison's four best bets on Saturday

Destinee Royale ran a good race after an 11-month absence last season and given that we are now in the month where Venetia Williams-trained horses usually thrive, I really don’t expect this horse to struggle for fitness returning from a similar absence on Saturday.

The eight-year-old was a good enough novice over hurdles, without winning one, but immediately signalled she was going to be a much better chaser when winning by 34 lengths from Bbold at Market Rasen when last seen.

That course has a similar configuration to Sandown, so the track should suit, and although the race looked weak at the time, the second is now rated 127, so to go up just 9lb for beating that rival very easily looks generous now.

She was novicey at times at Market Rasen, but she is likely to have been well schooled since and should relish this test, plus Charlie Deutsch is excellent on bold, front-running types.

At the bottom of the hill, I could see how well Sky Pirate was travelling, but given how well I thought I knew that horse, I was really confident Ibleo would battle much the stronger and give me a good pre-Christmas boost at Cheltenham’s December meeting.

Unfortunately for me, Sky Pirate turned on the style that day and decided to show what he had long promised and eased away from Ibleo, but it was still a fine run from the selection.

Venetia Williams has placed this horse excellently and he has been in the first two in all his chase starts, and still looks as though he has more handicap wins in him.

This race is not that strong, and a few rivals look on the downgrade or are infrequent winners, so he looks a very solid favourite.

He is running in the big final of the veterans’ chase series, but Potters Legend is an unusual contender here as he has been showing some of his best ever form this season, despite his advancing years, and while he continues in this fettle, I am sticking with him.

He landed a gamble first time out this season in a similar event at Warwick, and thankfully we got on early on that occasion, and he was well-backed in from being the outsider of the field at Cheltenham last time out where he ran another great race finishing second.

His jumping will never be brilliant but he has only ever fallen once, so I expect him to make a couple of mistakes, but I still expect him to be staying on strongly up the Sandown hill, and I will be very disappointed if he does not figure in this competitive heat.

The Pink'n could hardly be more consistent and might just be too big a price against some lightly-raced types who are representing powerful connections.

Has been second three times on the spin this season, but his attitude is faultless, and it was probably a career best from him in the listed handicap at Newbury last time out.

He has gone up just a pound for that good run, whereas Guard Your Dreams has gone up 13lb for his win at Wincanton, and those running in a handicap for the first time have not been given soft marks.

The Pink'n looks certain to run well and may get a deserved change of luck in 2021.