Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: Spirits Bay can land cup to set up Cheltenham run

William Hill ambassador Nick Luck casts his expert eye over the best of Saturday’s racing from Sandown as well as ITV races from Hereford and Wolverhampton.

Sandown, Saturday

MALINIFICENT is an each way play in the EBF Final (1:50pm), a super competitive heat that opens up today’s Sandown card. Although this is a really spicy affair, and a few may be classier, he’s undoubtedly attractively weighted on his three runs over a patently inadequate two miles, boxing on solidly behind the useful Laganhill last time. Sean Bowen and a marked increase in stamina test should both prove very useful.

SPIRITS BAY has a nice race in him, and it could just be today’s Imperial Cup (2:25pm). He’s learning to settle a little better now and, while I wouldn’t get carried away with his run in a Grade 2, the horses around him were rated a lot higher and his mark hasn’t shifted. He needs to win this to get a run at Cheltenham, and he comes here a good deal fresher than most.

SUPREME MALINAS could well be the answer to the Mares’ bumper (3:00pm). A good winner over a solid rival (reopposes today) at Huntingdon, she probably improved on that against geldings at Windsor on a track that wouldn’t really have suited. This sterner test of galloping should be much more up her street.

GOSHEN has found a good spot to resume winning ways (3:35pm). His mark is easing, but his last two runs in much better races suggest quite a lot of his considerable ability remains intact. The track suits him ideally, and I’m not sure he really wants bottomless ground nowadays anyway.

Hereford, Saturday

HYPOTENUS looks to have been found a good opportunity in the televised feature from Hereford (2:05pm). He’s done really well in two starts for this yard, and a similar effort in this company on a track that should suit won’t put him too far away.

Wolverhampton, Saturday

At Wolverhampton, SYMBOL OF LIGHT could have quite a bit to offer in the Lincoln Trial (2:45pm), despite the hefty rise in the weights, while WILLEM TWEE looks well worth another try at seven furlongs in the Lady Wulfruna (3:20pm).