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Tom Symonds insists he has “positive feelings” towards Song For Someone ahead of Saturday’s Virgin Bet Contenders Hurdle at Sandown.
The two-mile Listed contest can at times be an uncompetitive affair, dominated by the likes of previous winners such as Buveur D'Air, Binocular, Sea Pigeon and Lanzarote.
This year's renewal looks far more competitive, with each of the five runners holding claims.
Song For Someone, the mount of Aidan Coleman, has finished runner-up in a couple of Grade Two races this season, and bids to turn the tables on Guard Your Dreams, who was half a length in front of him at Cheltenham on his last outing.
Hentland trainer Symonds feels the seven-year-old, who was runner-up to Buzz in the Ascot Hurdle on his seasonal debut in November with Guard Your Dreams behind him in third, has benefited from a summer wind operation and goes to the Esher track as a fresh horse.
"The wind surgery had helped I think," he said. "We were very pleased with him at Ascot. The race has worked out well.
"Sadly, Guard Your Dreams bested us the last day, but we were pleased with him. He looked slightly under duress at Cheltenham in a race that probably came soon enough after Ascot.
"So, we freshened him up and are we are looking towards Saturday with positive feelings.
"Being fresh is a real boon to him – he has run well fresh in the past and the others in the race have run not long ago, so hopefully his freshness will help."
Symonds added: "To be perfectly honest, I've never seen him as a real two-miler until he ended up winning the Kingwell Hurdle (when re-routed to Kempton in 2020) and he has sort of morphed into a two-miler, but I want to go further with him.
"Ideally we could have waited for the National Spirit (at Fontwell), but this is a stiff two miles and that will suit him."
The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Guard Your Dreams renews rivalry on 6lb worse terms and would have been a lot closer to Stormy Island in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year's Day had he not been hampered by a faller.
Yet the pair of them may not have it their own way, as the Gary Moore-trained Goshen bids to restore his reputation after a few luckless performances.
Narrowly beaten by Brewin'upastorm on heavy ground at Lingfield, his Horsham trainer vowed afterwards that he would never race Goshen on a left-handed track again.
Moore said: "Everything is perfect. Like most people at the moment, we could do with a drop of rain.
"But has done nothing wrong all year. He got beat a length at Lingfield and has been put up 5lb for it.
"He is going the right way round this time. He has won round there before, albeit in lesser company and he is in a good place, so hopefully he will run well.
"He will go to the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton, a race he won last year, all being well after Saturday."
Veteran Hunters Call, a length behind Guard Your Dreams at Cheltenham, locks horns again, while Global Citizen, runner-up to Tommy's Oscar a fortnight ago at Haydock on his first run back after wind surgery, completes the line-up.
Though he seeks a first win in over two years, trainer Ben Pauling, feels Global Citizen is in good shape.
He said: "He seems to be coming back to his old form slowly. Wind surgery has helped and just seems well in himself. We have waited so long for him to come back, and we thought while he is in good order, we might get on and enjoy him.
"He schooled very well on Thursday and while he goes there with something to find on the ratings, he has been at that level before and I thought his last run was very positive.
"Every horse in the race has a question mark over something or other, so there is no absolute certainly. He is in good order and we will go there hopeful of a good run."
The near three-mile Virgin Bet Heroes Handicap Hurdle is always an ultra-competitive Grade Three contest and has attracted a field of 19, highlighted by the Harry Fry-trained Ree Okka, who seeks a hat-trick after scoring in novice company at Chepstow and Kempton.
Fry said: "This is a totally different kettle of fish to what he has been doing.
"He is in really good form and we are really happy with him at home.
"He relished the trip up to three miles the last day and it is obviously a valuable prize, so we thought we'd have a go, hopefully whilst he is still relatively unexposed and still progressive."
The Dorset handler is double-handed in the race with former Grade One Liverpool Hurdle winner If The Cap Fits dropped 3lb from his last run at Wincanton on Boxing Day.
Fry said: "If The Cap Fits tries blinkers for the first time and on ratings the handicapper is definitely giving him a chance, and we take another 7lb off with Mr Ben Bromley riding.
"If the blinkers have the desired effect, he has got the form to be very competitive."
Cheltenham Cross Country Chase hero Easysland has his first start for Jonjo O'Neill and shoulders top weight of 11st 12lb, and there is Irish interest in the form of Born Patriot, runner-up to Kansas City Chief at Cheltenham in October.
His Kildare trainer Peter Fahey is hoping the six-year-old can return to Prestbury Park for the Festival meeting next month should he run well.
Fahey said: "He has no issues with ground conditions at all and with Easysland in the race, it keeps his weight down.
"He's a grand, big horse and he will be a better horse over a fence and that's why, more than anything, we are not over-racing him this year.
"If we can get him into the Pertemps Hurdle – he ran a cracking race in the qualifier in October meeting at Cheltenham – that's the main aim for him this season."
