SILVESTRE DE SOUSA: Sandown Saturday

The obvious place to start is last week at Epsom where Desert Crown ran out a really impressive winner of the Cazoo Derby. I was thrilled for Sir Michael (Stoute) (pictured below) who has had such a terrible time losing his partner Coral. Everyone knows what a terrific trainer he is and it just shows you what he can do if he is sent the right horse.

I’m at Sandown this weekend and it was nice to ride a winner on the Friday card there for Charlie and Mark Johnston with Dance In The Grass (pictured below) who did the job very nicely indeed on debut.

It’s somewhat the calm before the storm with Royal Ascot looming next week and I’ll be back with a blog each day and we are also planning on doing a few zoom rooms.

Anyway, that is all to come, here are my thoughts on my five rides on Saturday…

SANDOWN PARK

VEE SIGHT – 1.40pm

I’ve not ridden Vee Sight who I ride for Ralph Beckett in the opener. He showed some promise in three starts as a two-year-old last season and ended the campaign with a good fourth at Newmarket. Plenty of winners have come out of that race and the step up in trip should help him a fair bit too. He starts off from a very workable mark of 74 and hopefully he can go well.

ENCOURAGED – 2.15pm

The reason I am heading to Sandown is to partner Encouraged as he looks to land the hat-trick. He’s won at Southwell and Kempton in recent months, and we hope he hasn’t reached the ceiling of his improvement just yet. The truth is he will have to step up to defy another 5lbs rise in what looks a better race, but he comes here in form and the switch back to turf is no bother. His biggest danger could well be Ouzo who was just touched off here last month.

WORLD OF WINDHOVER– 3.25pm

Next up, I’m riding World Of Windhover for Chris Dwyer. I’ve only ridden him the once and I’ll be hoping to keep up our 100% record having won at Yarmouth two starts back in April. The handicapper has dropped him a couple of pounds after his no-show at Ascot last time and hopefully he can go well here. Celsius won well at Ascot last time while Lordsbridge Boy looks a winner waiting to happen.

LIAMARTY DREAMS– 4.00pm

I’ve never ridden Liamarty Dreams who ran here on Friday and has also been entered for this. He was beaten into seventh yesterday behind Adjudicator but it was a bunch finish and he was only three lengths behind the winner. He’s 5lbs higher for his Haydock win last month and this looks a better race, but has to be respected with just 8st 11lbs in the saddle. It does look a warm contest with Golden Voice and Lethal Nymph looking the obvious threats.

DANCING HARRY– 5.10pm

My final ride of the afternoon is Dancing Harry for the fifth different trainer of the day. I’m obviously freelance now so its lovely to get such support from so many different names. I’ve ridden Dancing Harry on both his recent starts and he is better than he showed at Goodwood last time. Hopefully the return to a sounder surface will help and he’s now a pound lower than when runner-up at Nottingham on his reappearance. He won over this course and distance last summer and is only 3lbs higher now.

Good Luck
SDS

---

STAR PROMOTIONS