Disclaimer: Compulsive gambling can harm your health and relationships, and leave you in serious debt. If you have a problem with gambling and you’d like to stop, support and treatment is available. To find information, support and counselling on gambling addiction, please visit the NHS website: www.bit.ly/NHSGambling

AFTER the jewels in the Christmas racing crown, we drop a level for the racing action this afternoon, with Sandown Park holding the feature fort with one of my favourite races, the Veterans’ Handicap Chase at 3.00.

This extended three-mile event is always a tough slog at this most severe of tracks, although the weather forecast suggests there will be little rain in the 48 hours leading up to the big race. To my eyes this race revolves around how much talent Eldorado Allen retains into his 12th year. A course record of 12344 makes him interesting and he comes here on the back of two fair runs, the latter over a sharp enough two-and-a-half miles when a staying on third at Cheltenham just under a month ago.

Likely favourite, Copperhead, had plummeted down the handicap prior to winning his first race in over three years when dotting up off a lowly 111, and two further wins and a couple of seconds have seen his mark rise to 130, which included a really good second to Esher specialist Certainly Red two outings back after which he just finished ahead of Allen in the aforementioned race at Cheltenham.