Exciting Torpillo Out to Enhance Reputation at Sandown

Anyone who was at Sandown a month ago to see the British debut of Torpillo will certainly have not forgot the impression he made. The French recruit was having his first start in this country for new trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies and he couldn’t have done things any better. After a win in France and then that win over course and distance he now has a double penalty to shoulder on Saturday, but looks as though he is more than up to the task.

The ground is forecast to be soft at Sandown this weekend, but that shouldn’t pose any problems as he won on soft in France and then won on heavy ground on debut last month. He has to give four pounds to the likely second favourite Fukuto, who is the only other winner in the line up and he has to give ten pounds to the rest of the field, with the exception of the filly Last Enchantment, who gets a seven pound fillies allowance, so she is receiving 17 pounds from Torpillo.

While the field in opposition may not provide the strongest test for Torpillo, the additional weight he has to carry will go some way to balancing out this contest. Having said that, even with the extra weight to carry, there was a lot to like about the British debut of Torpillo, and a win here would push him into the Triumph Hurdle picture at Cheltenham.

Torpillo may not beat much in terms of quality on Saturday, but it will be the weight carrying performance that will make it an interesting and impressive run, even if the winning margin is only small. Torpillo caught the eye at Sandown last month, and he could make another big impression tomorrow in the opening race on the card.