The Mandarin’s & Caroline’s Saturday Selections for 25th April 2026

The Mandarin’s Sandown Park Selections & Caroline’s Navan Picks

Sandown Park

Changing Young Lives At Jamie’s Farm Fillies’ Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) 1.13
La Luna Artista (nap)
To get things under way on the final day of the National Hunt season, look no further than La Luna Artista for a winning start. I thought she was impressive enough in the Adonis at Kempton, though Precious Man might have got closer if not for falling two out, but she won she won with plenty in hand and will be fine on this quicker ground. The only chink in La Luna Artista’s armour is that she has a tendency to get a tad lonely on her own up front, so Ciaran Gethings might be pleased with a bit of company, and that could be from Dan Skelton’s improving Made U Blush, and I would expect it to be between these two. A nice looking forecast, if you like those exotics, but La Luna Artista is all class and can be winning this.

bet365 Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle 1.45
Minella Yoga
Paul Nicholls Minella Yoga could not have been more impressive than when winning at Taunton last time out, and can go in again here. Admittedly, as a long odds on shot, that Taunton result was the expected one, but you can only beat what is put in front of you, and he did that in fine fashion. Third in the Triumph at the Cheltenham Festival is rock solid form in anyone’s book, and getting a decent weight for age allowance looks to put the ball in the court for ante post favourites Kadastral and Cosmic Connection. Both Dan Skelton’s charge and Chris Gordon’s Cosmic Connection have claims, but on this sound surface and Harry Cobden taking up the reins, Minella Yoga must be the one to follow.

bet365 Oaksey Chase (Grade 2) 2.20
Matterhorn
Quite the most interesting race this Oaksey Chase, if not the strongest renewal I can remember. There’s a couple that will be setting the pace from the off, namely Doyen Quest and the selection, Matterhorn, but Doyen Quest’s Mildmay run at Aintree last time out was marked by some fencing errors, so Harry Skelton will need to put in a spot-on round of jumping to win this. That said though, his run in the Esher Chase here in December was better, so I would expect a decent contest between these two, with Gary & Josh Moores’ Blow Your Wad also likely to be bang in the mix. Matterhorn to prevail at the expense of Doyen Quest, with Blow Your Wad trying to separate the two.

bet365 Celebration Chase (Grade 1) 2.55
Thistle Ask (nb)
It takes a brave man to bet against Jonbon here at Sandown Park, but I’ll be that man on Saturday, and say that Thistle Ask is going to ruin Jonbon’s day! Of course, Nicky Henderson’s stable star Jonbon has just about as impeccable a record as you could find in National Hunt racing, a winner of 12 Grade One’s, and never out of the top two in a twenty-nine race career is just about as good as it gets, but has he met his match in Thistle Ask? Well, although Jonbon skipped Aintree this year, it does look to me that Thistle Ask has been freshened up for this Grade One, and he’s sure to be setting the fractions from the front, so with quicker ground the order of the day, could Jonbon just get caught too far back? A gamble, I know, but on a big day for Dan Skelton this would be the icing on the cake, so I’ll take the exuberant Thistle Ask to dominate from the front and just keep Jonbon out.

bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) 3.30
Montregard
I do think this race looks lined up for Tom Lacey’s Montregard. Withdrawn form the Scottish National last week, when the heavy ground wasn’t in the game plan, we can assume that he’s fully tuned up for this marathon event, and still looks well weighted from my desk. For all that, the same can be said of Fergal O’Brien’s In D’or, also taken out of the Scottish National last weekend, and this pair hve some previous from a handicap at Ascot in January, where Montregard was second, 3 & 1/2 lengths to the good of In D’or in third. Gary & Josh Moore’s Sussex National winner Havaila complete my three, for a firm that does well here at Sandown Park, but Montregard is my Gold Cup pick.

Bet365 Select Hurdle (Grade 2) 4.02
Kabral Du Mathan
One of the horses to watch this season, Dan Skelton’s Kabral Du Mathan is the one to beat in the Select Hurdle. I thought he ran an absolute blinder in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, considering his relative inexperience at the top level, and may well have come out on top until the tank emptied up the hill. But he’s back on a flat track now, is Kabral Du Mathan, and surely this is his for the taking. Paul Nicholl’s Rubaud could well set the pace from the front, but Kabral Du Mathan will be waiting in the wings to take full advantage, with Jingko Blue the best of the rest.

bet365 Josh Gifford Novices’ Handicap Chase 4.40
Calimystic
Did it here nicely last time did Calimystic, so every reason to think he can do the same again. Rinse and Repeat! I suppose that Paul Nicholls’ Go West would be the danger, though he needs to sort out the fencing from his last effort at Kempton, and giving 11lbs to Calimystic must ask a question, and I could see Henry Oliver’s Millforce being the one to make a race of it. Calimystic to make it three from three over fences, though not much bang for buck for getting this one right!

Navan

Irish Stallion Farms EBF Committed Stakes (Listed) 2.30
Charles Darwin
Well, I must tell yuzz that I cannot wait to see how Aidan O’Brien’s Charles Darwin has trained on this year. So, so impressive in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot last June, where he went off like a bullet, but looked to have run his race coming up to the 2 furlong pole, until Ryan Moore found there was plenty more to come when he pushed the button. A beautifully proportioned sprinter, I am so much wanting to see how he shapes up on this first run of the campaign. I’d be thinking that Jessica Harrington’s Kindergarten would be close, but if Charles Darwin has found any amount of improvement, he’ll be hard to beat on this going.

BAR 1 Betting Vintage Crop Stakes (Listed) 3.05
Carmers
I guess that Aidan O’Brien’s Scandinavia will be a hot favourite for this Vintage Crop Stakes, but Carmers is my pick. I do think that Paddy Twomey’s Wootton Bassett colt will prefer this quicker ground, with Scandinavia surely aimed at some bigger targets later this summer, so a fresh Carmers may be the one to follow, with Joseph O’Brien’s Emit also going to be in contention. Scandanavia to be undone by Carmers on ground to suit Paddy Twomey’s colt.

Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil Stakes (Group 3) (Fillies) 3.40
Thundering On
It’s been a bit of a topic in the office for some years now, that the Frankel fillies come to hand a bit quicker than the colts. I’m definitely of that opinion, and I’m finding it easy to back Joseph O’Brien’s Thundering On for this Salsabil Stakes. She’s got a whole hand of fancy entries this summer in her Classic campaign, starting here, and I suppose that Johnny Murtagh’s Chasing Paradise, with an early season win under her belt would be the one to set up the race. But, I’m telling yuzz that this quicker ground is for Thundering On, and with no Skydance here this time to spoil the party, Thundering On can thunder home!