The Sunderlands Imperial Cup at Sandown is the traditional hor’deuve to next week’s Festival main course and punters will be looking to the 17 runner handicap to boost their Cheltenham betting banks.

The top weight Dusky Warbler is a non runner and the only certainty of the race is that the David Pipe trained Gaspara is going to go off favourite. Betterbet.com make him 3/1 at the moment and if you can get near a Better shop they have a great concession today whereby if you finish second to the favourite in this race you get your win single stake back.

This race has been monopolised in the past by David’s father Martin who has won three of the last five runnings and Gaspara, who bids for a hat-trick, looks a very likely sort indeed with the champ A P McCoy in the saddle. Gaspara also has two Cheltenham engagements for next week and if he wins today will be on for the bonus put up by the sponsors.

At 3/1 he is plenty short enough though for such a competitive event and we prefer to play each-way where we’ll get a return if finishing in the first four. The going will be testing at Sandown which may play into the hands of the bottom weights and the one at the very bottom Swift Sailor looks interesting at Better’s 16/1. The grey is in good form, as his trainer Gary Moore.