How to bet your £20 on Saturday: Take a Step Back in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown

Was it really 30 years ago that Desert Orchid won the Whitbread Gold Cup?

That makes me feel pretty old but hopefully Saturday’s renewal of the race - now the bet365 Gold Cup - will help renew energy levels.

I almost gave the race a swerve for punting purposes because most of the runners have something to prove or have flaws. That is perhaps reflected by all bar five of the runners being equipped with some kind of headgear.

Not having a bet on the final big race of the jumps season goes against the grain, though, and I will be risking a few quid on the horse with the most untapped potential in the race - plus the following:

2.05 Haydock - Mjjack at 3-1 with bet365 and William Hill::

The grey has won on his past two visits to this track (latterly over the distance of seven furlongs) and looked better than ever when winning in commanding style in a solid time at Newmarket’s Craven meeting this month.

The four-year-old colt has to contend with a 6lb higher mark but there is not so much depth to this race - for all he meets some other in-form rivals - and he is favourably drawn on soft ground that will not inconvenience him.

I am surprised he is as big as 3-1 and, with so much to recommend him, I can see him going off much shorter.

2.45 Leicester - Emmaus at a general 3-1::

The Roger Varian-trained four-year-old has clearly not been easy to train and will be having only his fourth outing but he has looked good when making it to the track and it is not too late for him to make up for lost time.

I would imagine this Listed contest has been on his agenda pretty much since his most recent run when he won a handicap off a mark of 99 over course and distance in October when he got the better of the useful Sir Dancealot despite having been off a year.

Plenty of his rivals boast higher official ratings but they are far more exposed than Emmaus, who surely has more to offer. Soft ground is an unknown but his breeding suggests it will not be an issue and, if anything, it may even be a plus.

3.35 Sandown - Step Back at a general 12-1::

Plenty in this year’s bet365 Gold Cup are fully exposed or have something to prove so Step Back, a promising novice running from the foot of the weights, is worth risking.

His lack of experience is an obvious concern, although the fact he has run only three times over fences masks the fact that he won three point-to-point races.

He attacked his fences with brio when easily winning a minor contest at Fakenham last time and coped well with the demands of Sandown before that, when simply looking in need of a stiffer test of stamina.

Step Back’s debut run over the bigger obstacles, when bustling up Thomas Patrick at Chepstow, also points to his mark of 135 being favourable. His conqueror is now rated 148 after his most recent success at Aintree.

He will also be wearing first-time cheekpieces. There looks to be nothing wrong with his attitude but if they help him focus then so much the better.

3.45 Haydock - Knighted:

Shaped well on his debut at Haydock last year, over an inadequate 6f, and confirmed that promise on his third and final start of the year when beaten a length by the more experienced Up Sticks And Go on testing ground over 7f at Redcar.

The winner had previously run well in a nursery off a mark of 78, while the third home at Redcar, Mametz Wood, was runner-up in a Ripon handicap this month off 75.

That suggests Knighted should be competitive off his initial mark of 73 and he is open to plenty of improvement, stepping up to a mile for the first time with the Kevin Ryan yard in good early-season form.

Andy Stephens' How To Bet £20 on Saturday:

OPTION ONE:

2.05 Haydock: Mjjack £8 win at at 3-1 with bet365 and William Hill

2.45 Leicester: Emmaus £6 win at a general 3-1

3.35 Sandown: Step Back £2 win at a general 12-1

3.45 Haydock: Knighted £4 win

OPTION TWO:

£1 Win Lucky Fifteen on above plus £5 win on Mjjack