Top Ville Ben in action
Top Ville Ben in action

Aintree & Sandown tips: Best value bets for Saturday December 4



Value Bet tips: Saturday, December 4

1pt e.w. Top Ville Ben in 2.40 Aintree at 20/1 (William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

2pts win Christmas In April in 3.00 Sandown at 8/1 (bet365, William Hill)

1pt win Martinhal in 3.15 Aintree at 14/1 (General)

1pt e.w. Zambezi Fix in 3.35 Sandown at 10/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)

Already advised:

1pt e.w. Hogan's Height in Becher Chase at 25/1

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Who is the best bet in the Becher Chase?

Last weekend’s column honed in on a classy Henry De Bromhead-trained chaser carrying a big weight in the day’s feature handicap and while it didn’t work out for 3/1 favourite Eklat De Rire in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, the same owner-trainer combination is pot-hunting again with Chris’s Dream carrying 11-12 and keeping eight of his rivals out of the weights in the Unibet Becher Chase at Aintree.

De Bromhead got more than a sniff of winning the British jumps trainers’ title last season and is seemingly out to see if he can get within striking distance prior to the big spring Festivals this time around.

Chris’s Dream competes off a 2lb lower BHA mark than when unseating rider in the Grand National here in April and he evidently goes well fresh having dotted up in the 2019 Troytown and almost beaten a race-fit The Storyteller in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal last October.

"He's got 11 lb in hand on his best form..." | Best bets for Tingle Creek day at Sandown

They represent high-class, soft-ground performances though it’s worth stressing, on a far better racing surface, he was still right in the hunt before unshipping Darragh O’Keeffe four from home before stablemate Minella Times and Rachael Blackmore went on to rewrite the record books.

Jonjo O’Neill Jr is in for a cracking spare ride on the nine-year-old, but his presence in the line-up does set the race up beautifully for some quality horses rated a little lower and I can’t resist an each-way play on Phil Kirby’s TOP VILLE BEN.

It’s three years ago now that he really came to prominence as a staying novice chaser, ending up third behind Lostintranslation and Topofthegame in the Grade One Mildmay at this track (Chris’s Dream was back in the field that day), but he was still competing at a good level two years back before injury struck.

After 456 days out of action, a trip to France for a Grade Two hurdle didn’t pan out for him back in the spring and a UK comeback run in the Charlie Hall Chase was always going to be tough at the end of October, but the assessor has cut some slack and this will be his first handicap run since winning the 2019 Rowland Meyrick by eight lengths from Didero Vallis (reopposes).

Rated 154 that day, he’s been eased from a peak 164 right back to 150 so even if he’s not quite the same force he once was, it’s not hard to see him giving it a really good crack from the outset. Being on or close to the pace is rarely a bad thing around the National course and it’s hoped he can get into an early rhythm, as well as take one or two of his rivals out of theirs in the process.

At 20/1 – double the price of Chris’s Dream - he rates a decent back-up to long-range fancy Hogan’s Height, who finds himself among those out of the handicap proper (1lb wrong) but clearly likes it here and enjoyed a good prep when sixth behind Mac Tottie in last month’s Grand Sefton.

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Which other horses appeal at Aintree?

With some potentially quite hefty showers forecast in the north west throughout Saturday afternoon, it’s hoped there’s enough juice in the ground for MARTINHAL to shine in the Unibet – 2021 Horserace Betting Operatory Of The Year Handicap Hurdle.

The vast majority of his rivals have had a run but the unseasonably dry ground has put back a reappearance for David Pipe’s six-year-old, who clearly likes to get his toe in.

I’m not convinced it was the good to soft going which scuppered him at the Cheltenham Festival when last seen as the Martin Pipe is one of the most competitive races of the week and it’s just a run I’m happy to put down to inexperience more than anything.

It’s hoped that has made more of a man of him as he was winning despite still doing plenty wrong when claiming back-to-back maiden/novice hurdles at Exeter during January and February, and one horse he beat by a head – Solwara One – went on to win well at Huntingdon and is now rated 134.

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Martinhal has been dropped a pound to 132 for Cheltenham so I’m certainly inclined to think he’s on the right side of his mark when putting it all together, and given he’s missed a couple of engagements already this autumn/winter there are no fears over him being short in terms of fitness.

He may well need three miles before too long but his Exeter form came over shorter and I reckon he could rattle off a few handicap hurdles before eventually being sent down the novice chase route.

It’s a real shame the Unibet Working With Raceday RTV Handicap Chase hasn’t made its way onto the ITV programme as it’s an absolutely belting contest, although I’m finding it hard to argue with Galahad Quest, Annual Invictus and Palmers Hill fighting it out with Pink Legend for market favouritism.

Palmers Hill won with loads to spare at Wetherby last month and he’s probably the one to be on here up just 4lb, but I can let Jonjo O’Neill’s horse go at the prices so it’s over to Sandown and a strong Betfair Tingle Creek Chase card.

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What is the best bet at Sandown?

Chacun Pour Soi - Timeform’s highest-rated horse in training – is a massive draw for the great race although I’d maintain Nube Negra is going to be quite hard to beat in this division when the emphasis is really placed on speed and if there isn’t much rain, he could have too many gears for the favourite.

Either way there are better betting opportunities elsewhere and the one that really stands out is CHRISTMAS IN APRIL in the Betfair Exchange London National Handicap Chase.

He wasn’t alone as a Colin Tizzard-trained horse more out than in throughout last season, but he did bump into a well-treated Cloudy Glen at Fontwell last November, while he signed off with a win at Newton Abbot in early-May.

More pertinently, the nine-year-old put two good runs together for the first time in a long while when returning to action with a staying-on second over three and a quarter miles at Carlisle at the end of October. He’s been nudged up 1lb for that but will hopefully now kick on again, having looked a really promising type during his novice campaign.

He’s a very strong stayer so going back up in trip looks a positive, he handles any ground, and he’ll likely set out to make this a true test from the front.

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Who appeals each-way?

The other one I want on side at Sandown is ZAMBEZI FIX in the Betfair Daily Rewards December Handicap Hurdle.

A winner over hurdles for Gordon Elliott, he was running consistently well in novice handicap chase company for new trainer Bernard Llewellyn last term, the length and a half second to highly progressive Funambule Sivola a particularly meritorious effort.

The winner went on to be second behind Shishkin in the Maghull at Aintree and Zambezi Fix was surely going to make a winning return to action before clouting one and stumbling to the ground at Ffos Las last month.

Having also unseated rider first time out last year as well, the decision has been made to switch him back to the smaller obstacles and the strong-travelling grey looks too well handicapped to ignore as he’s able to compete off a 5lb lower mark than his current chase rating.

The small concern I have is that he’s finished second a little too often and the punishing Sandown hill could pose an issue, but he really should go close and we can back him each-way accordingly at current odds.

Published at 1600 GMT on 03/12/21


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