The bookies are having a hard time separating the top two three-year-olds in 2017 Ladbrokes Sandown Guineas betting for Saturday with Beau Geste and Snitzepeg batting for top spot in the markets on the mile showdown.
Beau Geste is narrow early favourite for the 2017 Ladbrokes Sandown Guineas over the mile at Ladbrokes Park this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.
Running as Ladbrokes Park Race 8 at 4:40pm (AEDT) as part of a bumper 10-race card for Zipping Classic Day, this season’s Group 2 $250,000 Ladbrokes Sandown Guineas (1600m) drew 11 hopefuls.
Five of those are under $10 for the win in the latest Sandown Guineas odds at race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au including Beau Geste ($4.40) and Snitzepeg ($4.50) who are tipped as the ones to beat.
Drawn gate four with Damian Lane retaining the ride on the Godolphin-raced colt, the James Cummings-trained son of Street Cry Beau Geste chases his first win since a Rosehill victory back in September.
He’s raced well in the interim including a Group 3 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) third at Randwick on October 7 and the close fourth when just a half-length beaten at Flemington on Derby Day in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m).
With experience over the mile, Beau Geste looks a livewire chance to win on the weekend having made up plenty of late ground from right back in the field last time out.
The other key Carbine Club Stakes graduate and the other best in Sandown Guineas betting for Saturday’s rematch is the Darren Weir-trained Snitzepeg.
The Snitzel colt ran just a nose further back for fifth in the race on November 4, which followed back-to-back Listed 1400m Melbourne wins in October from the up-and-comer.
Little separated Beau Geste and Snitzepeg last start and it is expected to be a similarly close affair between the two in the Sandown Guineas results.
The other best fancied for the Group 2 on Saturday and the early Sandown Guineas market mover is Villermont ($9 into $7).
Jumping from gate nine with Luke Nolen in the saddle, the Aaron Purcell-trained All Too Hard colt makes his stakes debut on the weekend.
It is a notable rise in grade for the up-and-comer, but Villermont is proven over the mile having blitzed a maiden race at Benalla over 1606m by over five lengths in late September.
His final lead-up into the Sandown Guineas field was on October 18 at Caulfield when fourth in a Benchmark 70, also run over the mile.
Rounding out the three-year-olds at single-figures for the win are Purcell’s other acceptor Black Sail ($8.50) coming off a trio of second place efforts including a close call over 1800m at Flemington on VRC Oaks Day and the Mick Price-trained Pierro colt Octabello ($9.50) out to improve on a Carbine Club Stakes seventh.
Check out the full Sandown Guineas 2017 betting odds below, full markets and offers open online now at Ladbrokes.com.au.
