How To Bet £20 on Saturday: South the direction to head at 18-1

Andy Stephens suggested backing runaway Newmarket winner Royal Intervention (9-1) last Saturday as well as Newcastle runner-up Euchen Glen each-way at 10-1.

The World Cup has been enthralling but, from a punting perspective for me, expensive.

I have been unable to resist small wagers on some of those markets which add spice to the knockout matches - handicap betting, corners, number of goals, etcetera - and barely got anything right.

In an attempt to wipe out my growing losses I backed England at 5-4 to beat Columbia in normal time and my regret at instead not getting involved in betting on the bookings was compounded when that injury-time equaliser went in.

I am going to resist backing England to beat Sweden on Saturday afternoon (although the general 7-1 available about a 2-0 outcome is tempting) and will be sticking with the horses.

The Haydock card is trappy and, in common with the other fixtures, nothing jumped off the page. There looks some decent opportunities at Sandown, though, starting with:

Regular followers of this column will know I was sweet on Judicial when he ran at Haydock last month but it was a story of what might have been because after tanking through the contest he got absolutely no sort of run. That is the way it can go in sprint races sometimes.

The six-year-old gained a degree of compensation when winning a minor event at Beverley ten days later and his narrow reappearance defeat in the Palace House Stakes, when beaten a neck by Mabs Cross, has a glow with the winner subsequently finishing an excellent third in the King’s Stand Stakes.

Judicial will be having his first start at Sandown but his decent record at tracks like Beverley and Pontefract, which are similarly stiff, suggest it will serve him well. He can win at the main expense of Mr Lupton and Muthmir.

Two runs this season over an extended 7f at Chester - when playing catch-up from the rear on both occasions - have not shown South Seas to best advantage but he has shaped as if retaining much of his old ability and he looks well worth risking here at the double-figure digits available.

He has to concede weight all round but there is a lack of unexposed improvers in the line-up and, in any case, a mark of 105 might completely underplay him.

His exploits as a two-year-old included an emphatic win in the Group Two Solario Stakes at this track, at the main expense of Salouen, and he was subsequently beaten only four lengths in the Dewhurst when the first quartet home were the Churchill, Lancaster Bomber, Blue Point and Thunder Snow.

South Seas ran only twice as a three-year-old, when failing to shine, but his efforts this term, having been gelded, suggest he could yet make up for lost time and this contest should play much more to his strengths.

Bajan Gold has looked a different horse since being stepped up to a mile and a quarter on his past two starts and, provided this does not develop into a muddling affair, should complete a hat-trick of wins.

The four-year-old pounced from off the pace when romping home by four lengths at Windsor on his penultimate start and he defied a penalty with a bit to spare at Lingfield five days later.

He now has to cope with a 5lb higher mark but this stiffer track promises to suit him even better and he will have the services of the excellent Andrea Atzeni for the first time.

Andy Stephens' How To Bet Your £20 at Sandown on Saturday:

OPTION ONE:

12.20: £6 win Judicial at a general 9-2

12.55: £4.50 each-way South Seas at 18-1 with BetVictor

3.55: £5 Bajan Gold at 3-1 with Bet365

OPTION TWO:

Trio above in £3 win singles, £3 win doubles and a £1 each-way treble