ITV Racing Tips – Saturday 25th April 2026 Best Bets for Sandown, Leicester & Haydock

The champions of the 2025-26 National Hunt season will be crowned on ITV on Saturday, 25th April, with the Jumps Finale from Sandown headlining the coverage.

We have gone through all televised races on Saturday, picking out ITV horse racing tips, and an accumulator for ITV racing.

The Jumps Finale card on ITV gets underway with the Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle, run over two miles. Olly Murphy-trained Wilstar could be an overpriced selection based on the form shown since returning from wind surgery.

After a tune-up run at the start of January, the six-year-old has won impressively on back-to-back starts at Southwell and Warwick, beating Talakin by just under two lengths last time out. Is lightly raced, and has the Champion Jockey aboard.

The King Richard III Cup Handicap is also covered on ITV this weekend. Strike Red looks well-handicapped for the Richard & Peter Fahey team after a comeback third on return at Newcastle earlier this month.

Will relish the ground conditions this weekend, and he typically performs to his best standard at Leicester, finishing a close second behind Completely Random in this race 12 months ago. Will carry a stone less this weekend, making it obvious to make a case for.

Dan Skelton will be trained Champion Trainer on Saturday, and a notable winner for the yard could come in a weak-looking Grade Two Oaksey Chase.

Doyen Quest was outclassed in Grade One company at Aintree earlier this month, but he wasn’t given a hard race by Harry Skelton.

A return to a sounder surface will suit his chances after previously beating Quebecois by ten lengths at Exeter in November. Has only finished outside of the first three on two occasions over fences.

Haydock is also featured on the ITV coverage this weekend, with a wide-open handicap over seven furlongs due off at 14:35. Great Acclaim didn’t see out the mile on his return at Doncaster, but this drop down to seven furlongs should suit better.

The five-year-old was a two-time winner over the distance last season, winning on varying ground at Goodwood and Chepstow. On a good mark, and Charles Bishop is back aboard the Eve Johnson Houghton runner.

Jonbon will line up in the Grade One Celebration Chase, as he renews his rivalry with Thistle Ask from the Clarence House.

However, I could foresee that form being reversed over this shorter trip, with the Dan Skelton runner being outstayed in the Grade One at Ascot earlier in the year.

The nine-year-old comes into this fresh, and has won four from five starts over fences this season. Solness is an interesting raider from Ireland, but Aintree could have left a mark after he ran a big race in defeat.

A field of 14 go to post in the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase. Transmission ticks plenty of the form boxes this weekend, and could be a solid each-way chance for the Neil Mulholland team.

The nine-year-old was given an easy ride last time out when third at Plumpton, but arrives at Sandown in excellent form after dominating the field over an extended three miles and seven at Musselburgh in February, beating Rock My Way by 12 lengths.

Sidestepped Cheltenham this year with this target in mind, and looks to have his ideal ground conditions, with Conor O’Farrell back aboard, just as he was for his win in Scotland in February.