The Sandown Tingle Creek Festival of 2025 has a day 2 card even better than the opening one on Saturday, 6 December. There are not one, but two Grade 1 races taking place with the meeting’s eponymous race alongside the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase. In and around that, watch out for a supporting card to savour.
Joining the Tingle Creek Chase and Henry VIII over the same course and distance are a Listed novice hurdle, plus some interesting handicaps. The Esher venue perhaps saves the best until last on this card with a wide-open edition of the London National. That uses the bet365 Gold Cup trip of an extended three-and-a-half miles.
While the action during the Sandown Tingle Creek Festival 2025 day 2 card unfolds racing right-handed, it’s still of great interest to online Cheltenham bookies because the courses are similar in other respects. Both tracks are galloping and test stamina of the racehorses competing at them. This Greater London venue also requires runners to get into a rhythm as they go along the back straight.
That is down to the sheer number of fences encountered on that part of the course, seven in total. The Railway Fences come thick and fast as that section draws to a close. A good jump at the Pond Fence afterwards is also essential. Any horse racing experts worthy of the name know this only too well. That’s why we set ours the task of picking out some Saturday selections from this cracking card. Here are their fancies…
Sandown Tingle Creek Festival 2025 Day 2 Preview for Saturday, 6 December
12:10 – Listed 1m 7f 216y Claremont Novices’ Hurdle
He could be very good!
Listed bumper winner Sober Glory ran out a ready winner first time over hurdles for @BenJone04644251 and @PJHobbs1 at @Chepstow_Racing… pic.twitter.com/ZnsxMYwg2n
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 5, 2025
Should Sober Glory not live up to expectations, then it’ll be disappointing. That’s because his main rivals concede 3lb in weight to him for landing Class 2 contests last time. Among those is Soldier Reeves, winner of a Cheltenham races maiden last month for Dan Skelton. He’ll need improvement from that run stepped up to Listed level now.
Jamie Snowden and Gavin Sheehan combine with Fresh Perspective, who has scored on four of his five career starts. He made all at Wetherby, following-up on a successful hurdles bow around Fontwell. Notching the hat-trick looks no easy task against the mighty Sober Glory. Course and distance winner Hurricane Pat and Shabalko d’Herm have also won their last couple of starts, but must improve too.
12:43 – 2m 3f 178y Class 3 Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (0-125)
Some of the more lightly-raced females over hurdles are also of interest here. Given she ran in the Prix du Cadran for Sir Mark Prescott, there must be question marks over whether this trip is far enough for Miss Cynthia. She’s now with the Skeltons. Just A Rose has run just twice under Rules, bolting up around Taunton and then pulling up in the Dawn Run Cheltenham Festival result on St Patrick’s Thursday.
Making her handicap debut for Paul Nicholls, she could be anything and her mark of 122 is a guess with precious little to judge her on. Plenty of Ditcheat inmates have needed their first rum, however. Warwick winner Crazierthandaisy has a 5lb hike for her reappearance win where Dramatic Encore was back in third and now better off at the weights. Both should take steps forward from that here.
1:20 – 2m 7f 103y Class 2 Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Series Qualifier
Kikijo kicks on! 💥
A strong winner of the @paddypower From The Horses Mouth Podcast Handicap Hurdle 🏆 pic.twitter.com/UByk0XzQMe
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) November 15, 2025
Hobbs has won this twice in the last four seasons and KIKIJO needs to go up in the weights further if he’s to make the Final during the revised Cheltenham schedule on the third day of the Festival. He must follow-up on an Old Course win at the November Meeting on Sandown Tingle Creek Festival 2025 day 2 and climb the handicap to qualify. Callum Pritchard takes a handy 3lb off Kikijo with his claim, reducing a 7lb hike to effectively 4lb.
Those who can already feel confident about a spot in the Final towards the top of the weights like Supremely West and Chasing Fire can be passed over by punters as a result. Marks in the mid-to-high 130s should be ample to get a run. It could pay instead to focus on others who need to improve their ratings to make the cut come March. The Lord Maid might need a slightly higher rating for Tom Lacey, than 132 for instance.
Lavender Hill Mob has part of an 8lb rise partially offset by stable conditional Alex Chadwick taking the ride and 3lb off for James Owen after his own Cheltenham success last month. Elsewhere, both Absolutely Dylan and Turndlightsdownlight have both strung wins together at a lower level and get in at the bottom end of the weights now. Nothing else enters calculations.
1:50 – 1m 7f 99y Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase
They went quick out in front! 💨
But champion jockey Sean Bowen had enough underneath him to get Alnilam up the Cheltenham hill in the Holland Cooper ‘Chasing Excellence’ Novices’ Chase for the Olly Murphy yard! 🥇@O_J_murphy91 | @Sean_Bowen_ pic.twitter.com/WfSyE0N7E2
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) October 24, 2025
The Henry VIII terms suit him, but he’s not as bombproof as his price suggests. That’s taking nothing away from a solid round of jumping around Exeter on his chasing debut last time. ALNILAM hasn’t put a foot wrong over fences, however, and looks value as the outsider of four. Connections have every right to chance their arm at this level after two good performances in this sphere.
Be Aware couldn’t beat Irish mare July Flower at the November Meeting in the Arkle Trial, so needs to improve and has often found one too good in his career to date for Team Skelton. Sam Thomas runner Lump Sum routed a next time out winner around Uttoxeter, but those in-behind haven’t franked the form when given the opportunity. Alnilam is a credible alternative to Lulamba
2:25 – 1m 7f 216y Class 2 Bet At Your Best With Betfair Handicap Hurdle (0-150)
A second win at Sandown for Honky Tonk Highway who wins the opener on Tingle Creek day @DSkeltonRacing | @harryskelton89 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/lHK9lYIEHu
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 7, 2024
If Dance And Glance wasn’t 3lb out of the handicap, then he could be the answer. Skelton has other runners in this Sandown Tingle Creek Festival 2025 day 2 event, however, and HONKY TONK HIGHWAY brings an unbeaten record at the track to her name. She’s a dual Listed winner on soft ground here now running in a handicap for just the second time. Something was wrong right from the start at Bangor.
If putting a line through her pulling-up on reappearance, then Honky Tonk Highway adds a solid second string to the stable’s bow. Harry Skelton rides Knickerbockerglory, so Brendan Powell takes an eye-catching spare ride on this six-year-old mare. Honky Tonk Highway’s Listed victory over Hartington on this very card 12 months ago reads really well.
Given she’s won a couple of Listed races since last November, it’s surprising to see Kateira framing the weights for Skelton’s other two. Her defeat of subsequent Fighting Fifth heroine Golden Ace at Wetherby reads well. It’s difficult to say what her best trip is, however, and there are others to consider in the old December Handicap Hurdle.
Glyn Brae won over further here last time for the Twiston-Davies stable. Conditional rider Toby McCain-Mitchell can also claim his full 5lb now. That will help ease a 5lb rise when he could only take 3lb off. Afadil has a nice racing weight, but lacks recent form.
3:00 – 1m 7f 99y Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase
L’EAU DU SUD routed Jonbon in the Shloer Chase last month and looks better value to follow-up on that success. Each of the three big guns know what it takes to land a Grade 1 over course and distance. First-time cheekpieces on Jonbon will have to sharpen up his jumping more than his mind. If they have the desired effect, then Nicky Henderson and JP McManus have a shot at a historic hat-trick here.
The trouble is Jonbon has been put in his place by both Il Etait Temps in the Celebration Chase here in the spring and L’Eau du Sud in the Shloer last time. Skelton must do all he can to try and stop Willie Mullins carrying off this valuable prize back to Ireland. L’Eau du Sud put it all together on that occasion. This feels like his Gold Cup. Libberty Hunter, if he gets round, and Boothill are playing for fourth place.
3;35 – 3m 4f 146y Class 2 London National Handicap Chase (0-150)
A brilliant day for Gavin Sheehan!
O’Connell pounces late to win the Virgin Bet Masters Handicap Chase! 🥇#ITVRacing | @Sandownpark | @GavinSheehan92 pic.twitter.com/bkKQHuCQ8i
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) February 1, 2025
Gavin Sheehan again takes the ride on this course winner who won’t mind any extra rain. Ask Brewster needs a sounder surface to race on for Evan Williams, however. Don’t be surprised if Venetia Williams’ Taganyika take a step forward for his reappearance fifth from the November Meeting here, meanwhile. Going from carrying 10st 3lb to topweight is a bit jarring for connections, though.
Hung Jury has a 6lb hike for his amateur riders’ victory around Prestbury Park here. Martin Keighley books Sean Bowen for the ride. The other course winner in the line-up is Invincible Nao for the Gary & Josh Moore stable who love having runners at the Esher venue. He beat Dom Of May, successful up at Newcastle last Saturday, in the Sussex National around Plumpton over this trip last term.
Even bottom weight Rivers Corner isn’t out of this for Team Tizzard. With just 10st 6lb on his back, and the yard doing so well in recent weeks, he should be battle-hardened enough to see out the longer trip based on some of last season’s slogs in the mud. Jupiter Allen holds an engagement at Exeter over even further on Friday and that seems to be connections’ first preference.
