Racing: Moondigua heavily backed for Sandown

ANTE-POST UPDATE

MOONDIGUA, THE seven-length winner at Warwick on his reappearance in January, was yesterday backed from 7-2 with William Hill and the Tote down to a top-priced 9-4 with Coral for the Sandown Handicap Hurdle on Saturday. Martin Pipe, Moondigua's in-form trainer, also has Out Ranking, Rainbow Frontier and Nocksky in the race.

Pipe's Country Store landed a touch at Taunton yesterday. Country Store had not won for over four years and was coming back from a 295-day lay- off but was backed from 10-1 to 4-1 in the morning before drifting to 6-1 on course. Tony McCoy deserted Country Store to ride the eventual runner-up The Cockertoo and it was left to Richard Johnson to get the winner home by a short-head.

Joe Mac, 21/2-lengths second to Alexander Banquet in the Festival Bumper last season, is the 3-1 favourite with Ladbrokes for the two-miles-110- yards Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the opening race at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday, 16 March. Barton, the easy winner of the River Don Novices' Hurdle at Doncaster on Saturday, is the 5-2 favourite with Ladbrokes for the two-mile-five-furlong Royal SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle, on the second day of the Festival.

Supreme Novices' Hurdle: Ladbrokes: 3-1 Joe Mac, 6-1 Cardinal Hill, Hidebound, 10-1 Colonel Yeager, Quel Senor, All Gong, 20-1 Crazy Horse, Davoski, Stage Fair, The Fly.

Royal Sunalliance Novices' Hurdle: Ladbrokes: 5-2 Barton, 9-2 Alexander Banquet, 5-1 Cardinal Hill, 10-1 Kings Road, 12-1 Buckside, 14-1 All Gong, 16-1 Behrajan, Bosuns Mate, Goodtime George, Kings Mark, Prominent Profile.