A small but select field of four contest the Listed 3m Future Stars Intermediate Chase at Sandown on Sunday (14:25), where Santini is the main attraction.
Trained by Nicky Henderson, this highly-regarded seven-year-old has long been thought of as a potential Cheltenham Gold Cup horse.
After winning a British point-to-point at Didmarton, the strapping son of Milan joined the Seven Barrows team.
Henderson was very keen to mind Santini over hurdles and he won both of his first two starts under Rules well.
Following 4 1/2 lengths success at the Winter Carnival at Newbury, he followed-up with Grade 2 glory in the Classic Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day.
Santini stayed on superbly in the testing conditions to account for Black Op by three-quarters of a length.
He was a well-fancied 11/4 favourite for the Albert Bartlett off the back of that effort and far from disgraced when third to Kilbricken Storm.
Success at the highest level came next time up for Santini in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree. He asserted close home for a 1 1/2 lengths victory over subsequent Cheltenham Festival heroine Roksana.
Connections then turned his attention to novice chasing last term. Santini made a taking bow over fences in the Grade 2 John Francome at Newbury, before finding the tight, right-handed track of Kempton against him on Boxing Day.
Still unexposed over fences
It was still a fine effort to finish third behind La Bague Au Roi and subsequent RSA Chase hero Topofthegame in the Grade 1 Kauto Star.
Santini was giving the winner a 7lb sex allowance and only went down by 3 1/2 lengths.
Topofthegame confirmed the form in the RSA, but preparations had not gone according to plan. Santini should have gone for the Grade 2 Reynoldstown at Ascot, but had to be vaccinated against equine flu and missed that outing ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.
Connections pulled up stumps for the campaign after his second in the RSA. Santini thus remains relatively unexposed as a chaser after just those three career starts.
He is open to any amount of further progress and his stamina is not in doubt. Those novice exploits have earned Santini an official rating of 163 which puts him 4lbs and upwards clear of his three rivals on adjusted figures here.
Henderson’s yard is on a 25 per cent strike rate in the last fortnight at the time of writing, so the stable is in-form.
With the trip and ground holding no fears, Santini looks a worthy 2/5 favourite with Unibet to land the Future Stars Intermediate Chase en route to bigger things.
Talkischeap forecast value
The clear second best on ratings is Sandown’s bet365 Gold Cup winner Talkischeap, who took a big step forward for trainer Alan King when landing the Grade 3 handicap during the Jumps Finale meeting in April.
This seven-year-old Getaway gelding ran some solid races in defeat during his novice campaign, including when twice behind dual Grade 1 winner La Bague Au Roi.
As with Santini, Talkischeap was conceding a sex allowance to her. On both occasions he went down by about seven lengths.
Talkischeap then won a match around Doncaster with the useful Theatre Territory and chased home another Henderson inmate in On The Blind Side at Kempton.
Although disappointing on handicap chase debut at the same venue when sent off favourite and fifth to Walt, he shaped better than the bare form suggests. This is because Talkischeap gave the winner 11lb and was only beaten 9 1/4 lengths.
The assessor left his handicap mark of 145 unchanged for Sandown and he bolted up over 3m 5f by 10 lengths.
There was a lot to like about the way in Talkischeap swept into the lead over the final fence and stormed clear up the Esher hill.
Santini is a tough nut to crack, but the way he finished off that race further suggests he’s no forlorn hope against the favourite.
As Talkischeap still has 4lb to find off these terms, however, Future Stars Intermediate Chase odds of 7/2 with Bethard are taken to fill second place.
This is because he has had twice as many outings over fences as Santini. There isn’t quite the same scope for progress, for all Talkischeap could be a force in graded handicaps like the Ladbrokes Trophy or Welsh Grand National this winter.
Future Stars Intermediate Chase remainder have enough to find
Now McGinty and Steely Addition complete the four-runner line-up. Both have plenty to find with the first two in the betting, but the former is trained by Stuart Edmunds and was runner-up in the Reynoldstown at Ascot.
That was a career best from the eight-year-old son of Stowaway. Prior to that, Now McGinty chased home The Worlds End at Chepstow, unseated at Huntingdon and again filled second place behind Crucial Role at Uttoxeter before returning to Wales to break his chase duck.
He needed to build on that Grade 2 placed effort in the RSA at Cheltenham but was the last of eight to finish.
As Now McGinty’s Ascot conqueror Mister Malarky ran poorly when returning to that venue for the Sodexo Gold Cup, the form is open to question.
Top stayers like Santini and Talkischeap make this no easier for him either. It is going to take a big step forward on all known form for Now McGinty to land a blow in this.
Steely Addition the pick for third
In the event that one of the first two in the betting fail to fire, then, it’s more likely to be the Philip Hobbs trained Steely Addition that takes advantage.
This seven-year-old Craigsteel gelding is two from four over fences but not so highly tried.
After coming third in a hot novice chase at Ffos Las on his debut over fences, Steely Addition scored next time up at Chepstow.
He was then fourth to Now McGinty at the same venue on his penultimate start but carrying a penalty for that previous win.
Steely Addition resumed winning ways at Hereford when asserting close home for a 1 1/4 lengths success over Station Master.
He is now pitched into Listed company for the first time and is rated 6lb superior to old rival Now McGinty.
Off level weights, things could well turn out different in the Future Stars Intermediate Chase than they did at Chepstow in January. Hobbs’ yard is in decent nick on a 27 per cent strike rate in the last fortnight at the time of writing.
Bearing that in mind, Steely Addition appeals more for third place than Now McGinty, but is still 3lb shy of Talkischeap and 7lb off Santini on adjusted ratings.
