Sandown Lakeside best bets & quaddie tips | Easter Saturday
| What | Easter Saturday Races |
| Where | Sandown Racecourse – 591-659 Princes Hwy, Springvale VIC 3171 |
| When | Saturday, April 8, 2023 |
| First Race | 12:30pm AEST |
Racing heads to the Lakeside track at Sandown on Easter Saturday for a bumper nine-race program. The Group 3 Easter Cup and Group 3 Victoria Handicap headline the program, while the Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes for the juveniles looks a competitive affair. With rain forecast in the lead up, look for the rating to go from a Good 4 to around a Soft 6 or 7. The rail returns to the true position and racing is set to get underway at 12:30pm AEST.
Victoria Handicap Top Tip: Buffalo River
The Group 3 Victoria Handicap is worth $200,000 and we are hoping the Mike Moroney-trained Buffalo River can fire first-up from a five-month spell over the 1400m. The seven-year-old has not won since claiming the 2021 Group 3 Moonga Stakes but has consistently run in tougher races than what he faces on Saturday. The wetter the better for the Buffalo and from barrier eight, we expect Daniel Stackhouse will have this bloke bounding along out in front giving his rivals something to catch. What he lacks in race fitness on his rivals, we’re hoping Buffalo River’s class on wet ground can be the tonic for success.
Victoria Handicap
Race 7 – 
#3 Buffalo River (8)
7yo Gelding | T: Mike Moroney | J: Daniel Stackhouse (60kg)
Easter Cup Top Tip: Right You Are
Right You Are was a dominant winner in the Australian Cup Prelude on March 11 and despite being scratched from the Group 1 Australian Cup a fortnight ago, he looks the one to beat in the Easter Cup. The six-year-old gelding was a smart winner at this track and trip in a similar race to this two starts back and from barrier one draws to gain every favour in running. It looks to be a match race in two between he and Melbourne Cup fancy White Marlin. What he may lack in class on that runner, he gains an advantage on the race fitness side of things. The So You Think gelding is proven on wet ground and under a nice steer, we expect Right You Are to prove too tough for his rivals in the Group 3 Easter Cup.
Easter Cup
Race 8 – 
#3 Right You Are (1)
6yo Gelding | T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | J: Ben Allen (57kg)
Redoute’s Choice Stakes Top Tip: I Am Unstoppable
The Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes has attracted a nice field of juveniles, but the way the Lloyd Kennewell-trained I Am Unstoppable won on debut suggests he is the one to beat. The two-year-old colt managed to take a sit off a nice speed at Morphettville a fortnight ago and once Zac Spain asked him to quicken, the colt was quick to put his rivals away with relative ease. From barrier six, look for Spain to lob this progressive type into the one-one in the small field of seven and if he replicates what he did on debut, I Am Unstoppable should prove to be just that, unstoppable, and keep his unbeaten record intact through two starts.
Redoute’s Choice Stakes
Race 3 – 
#1 I Am Unstoppable (6)
2yo Colt | T: Lloyd Kennewell | J: Zac Spain (57kg)
Best Bet at Sandown: Foxicon
Our best bet of the day comes up nice and early when the Peter Moody-trained Foxicon steps out in the opener over 1200m. The four-year-old mare strung together two nice victories at Moonee Valley before running into the speedy Unflinching over 955m on March 24. This query is whether she will see out the 1200m, but with Carleen Hefel on board and claiming 2kg, she is sure to be given every chance in running on Saturday. She draws to gain an economical run and if she can absorb the speed in the race, look for Foxicon to pile on the pressure 300m and prove too hard to gun down late.
Best Bet
Race 1 – 
#6 Foxicon (3)
4yo Mare | T: Peter Moody | J: Carleen Hefel (a2) (55kg)
Next Best at Sandown: Gringotts
Gringotts looks to be a progressive type based on what we have seen through four starts, and we anticipate he will keep that upward spiral to continue on Saturday. The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained three-year-old managed to overhaul the smart Helix over 1400m at this track in pretty soft fashion. He managed to track the speed on that day and ran on strongly late and drawn barrier one on Saturday, we are expecting a similar run in transit and hopefully a similar price. Outside of bad luck, we expect Beau Mertens to have this bloke doing his best work late and ultimately proving a touch too classy in the opening leg of the quaddie.
Next Best
Race 6 – 
#4 Gringotts (1)
3yo Gelding | T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | J: Beau Mertens (56.5kg)
Best Value at Sandown: Royal Merchant
We will be looking to make bank early when we butter up with the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Royal Merchant. The three-year-old filly was last seen beaten a half-head in the Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes at the Sandown Lakeside 1400m, so stepping back to the 1200m looks ideal. She will hold a prominent position throughout under Celine Gaudray and if she can make this a genuinely run six-furlong event, there is no reason why this Merchant Navy cannot give her rivals a bit of a galloping lesson. She is clearly the class horse in the race and with just 57kg on her back following the claim, we’re happy to be with Royal Merchant at a nice price on Saturday.
Best Value
Race 2 – 
#1 Royal Merchant (5)
3yo Filly | T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | J: Celine Gaudray (a3) (60kg)
Easter Saturday quaddie tips for Sandown races
Sandown quadrella selections
Saturday, April 8, 2023
- 4-7
- 2-3-7-8
- 3-8
- Field
Investment: $240 for 100%