McDonald Can Farm Sandown Prize

James McDonald may be an unfamiliar name to UK punters, but the 21-year-old New Zealander has taken his home country by storm, and went close to winning the Melbourne Cup last year aboard 30/1 shot Fiorente (pictured). He's clearly a very talented rider, as evidenced by a haul of 16 Group 1 winners in Australasia and Hong Kong, and he can prove his mettle by scoring at Sandown today aboard Charlie Hills' Basseterre (14:30).

McDonald has already had a winner for Hills courtesy of Cable Bay at Leicester, and got an initial feel of Basseterre when the pair finished a creditable fourth over 1¼m at Newmarket last week in a race won by Niceofyoutotellme, travelling best of all before his effort flattened out in the last furlong or so. I think he's much better suited by a helter-skelter 1m, which suits his strong-travelling style, and he should get that scenario today. The apparent negatives which are holding his price up are the form of the Charlie Hills yard, the unfamiliarity of his rider, and a wide draw. The jockey has been covered, and I've discussed the draw over 1m at Sandown before - in April 2011, I said this:

"One of the great myths of the draw is that it's always an advantage to be drawn close to the rail on a round course. That's fine for Chester and the like, but a rail draw in handicaps over 1m at Sandown is often a curse, in large part because there is no rail on the immediate inside after the start. The natural jockeying for position causes more problems for those in what are now low stalls. As a result, horses drawn middle to high are often able to avoid scrimmaging and take a prominent pitch."

In terms of the yard's form, Hills has gone 20 runs since his last winner, which will immediately put many off, but winners tell only part of the story, and of that score of beaten horses, no less than 13 have made the frame, which is not the profile of a yard out of form. Back Basseterre to buck the stats.

The Scurry Stakes at 14:55 has been weakened by the absence of Smoothtalkinrascal, which appears to leave the way clear for the well-berthed Morawij, who ran so well in the Temple Stakes at Haydock last time. He certainly deserves his place at the head of the market, but I've long held the view that Sound of Guns would make a pattern-class sprinter, and I'm going to stick to my guns (pun intended) despite her disappointing showing at Newbury last time.

On that occasion, Ed Walker's filly couldn't make an impact having been restrained in rear, but circumstances conspired against the hold-up horses that day, and I'm willing to overlook that performance. She impressed me in defeat behind Rosdhu Queen last year, and again looked a good prospect in the Flying Childers on her final 2-y-o outing. Badly hampered in the Nell Gwyn, she still gives the impression that we've yet to see the standout performance that she's capable of, and a strong pace over Sandown's stiff 5f will mean she should have no excuses. Give her another chance.

Recommendations:

Both at Sandown

Back Basseterre @ [18.5] in the 14:20 (NAP)

Back Sound of Guns @ [6.8] in the 14:55 (NB)