Sandown and Aintree hold centre stage this afternoon with the Tingle Creek Chase and Becher Chase the feature events on show and God’s Own looks the bet to go to war with in the former.

Winner of the Haldon Gold Cup in impressive fashion, the bay-gelding hails from the in-form Tom George yard and its stiff two miles looks sure to prove right up his street.

On that occasion he made a horrendous blunder at the fourth last but recovered well and then stayed on strongly up the long home stretch to see off Balder Succes by five lengths.

It is worth pointing out that the selection received 7lbs from his old rival there but there can be little debate that he was the superior horse and even at level weights here I expect the six-year-old to confirm those placings.

One of the main dangers could well be the Paul Nicholls-trained Dodging Bullets, already rated as high over fences as he was over hurdles.

The son of Dubawi had a nice pipe-opener in the Schloer Chase at Cheltenham last month. 

And with that race under his belt, and the possibility of a quicker surface here, he should hit the frame at the very least.

Elsewhere on the card, the highly regarded King’s Odyssey should go well in the opener at 12.20 and in the finale 3.35 What’s Happening looks a huge price.

The Becher Chase will offer a very different test. A big field will race over the famous Grand National fences with three-and-a-quarter miles ahead of them and Chance Du Roy will be bidding to win back to back renewals, but he has to run from a 6lbs higher mark and there could be some better handicapped entries in the race.

One of those is undoubtedly Our Father, favourite for the Hennessy in 2013, but following a moderate season now down to a career low mark of 136. 

He looks to have been primed for this race by David Pipe and is the main danger to my selection Alfie Spinner (each-way).

The Nick Williams runner has always been best on a flat track and has run two solid races this season at Cheltenham and Wincanton. 

Fifth in the 2012 Welsh National off 138, third in the United House Gold Cup off 140 that same year, he has failed to build on those runs since.

However, that is reflected in his mark of 128 and a clear round will surely see him go close here.

The other one to be interested in is surely Saint Are. 

He has a fabulous record over the Mildmay fences and showed he could jump around here when ninth in the 2013 Grand National. 

Now a full 15lbs lower in the weights I can see the eight-year-old also going close here.

Meanwhile, the best wager at Chepstow could be the lightly raced One Term in the Welsh National Trial at 1.10 for local trainer Rebecca Curtis.