Tag: Doncaster tips

Racing Preview 9th November

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Clearly I was tempting fate by hoping for a favourable draw for my ante-post selections in the November Handicap! Communicator has been drawn in stall 17 with Conduct even further out in stall 21. A quick delve into the history books reveals that a high draw isn’t necessarily fatal with nine of the past eleven winners being drawn in double-figure stalls. Even so, my confidence has certainly taken a knock for tomorrow’s race. The gamble of the race is a horse called Rhombus. I can’t see it winning myself but good luck to whoever is behind the midweek plunge.

Sprint handicaps at the end of the season are notoriously difficult but Eton Rifles arrives at Doncaster fresher than most. He won the Wentworth Stakes last year and bids for a repeat on his favoured soft ground. He was just denied by Steps in a handicap at Ascot last month after looking the likely winner with a furlong to travel. He stays seven furlongs so should certainly be staying on at the finish. I take him at 6-1 to get the better of the consistent Highland Colori and Jack Dexter.

The jumping season is getting into top gear now and grabbed the spotlight with McCoy’s 4000th winner this week. The action moves on to Wincanton tomorrow and Paul Nicholls introduces two horses that I’ve very much been looking forward to seeing.

Far West went into the Triumph Hurdle as one of the favourites but was left trailing by Our Conor’s extraordinary performance. Time will tell whether Our Conor is exceptional or whether it was a weak renewal of the juvenile championship. The Paul Nicholls-trained four-year-old looked a bit short of a change of gear at times last season and will presumably be up with the pace tomorrow. Melodic Rendezvous is the obvious danger but he is returning after suffering an injury that ruled him out of Cheltenham and Aintree and may just be a bit ring rusty.

My nap of the day is stable companion Wonderful Charm who looks a possible RSA Chase prospect. Nicholls thought enough of the gelding to run him in the World Hurdle last March but he has always had chasing in mind. He didn’t put a foot wrong on his debut and can chalk up a second victory at the expense of Alan King’s Meister Eckhart.

(Doncaster) 2.25 Eton Rifles 6-1 Bet Victor

(Wincanton) 2.05 Far West 7-2 Ladbrokes

(Wincanton) 3.15 Wonderful Charm 7-4 William Hill

November Handicap Preview

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John Gosden has simplified matters regarding the November Handicap by announcing the sale of the prolific winner Thomas Hobson to go jumping. He will now join the all-powerful Mullins stable and you wouldn’t bet against him making the grade in that sphere. That reduces Gosden’s entry to the top two in the handicap on Saturday, Aiken and Lahaag.

Aiken has not shown his true form this season whilst Lahaag bounced back with a win at York last time out. That was his first venture over a mile and a half and he responded to a patient ride from Paul Hanagan to swoop late. It is true that he has failed to trouble the judge twice at Doncaster but I wouldn’t read too much into that and he must have a decent chance.

I have been singing the praises of William Haggas all season for his excellent record in the big handicaps and he runs Conduct here. This one has the right profile for a race like this having started life with Sir Michael Stoute and being very lightly raced. He has had just two outings for Haggas, possibly needing the first one after a year off the track and then running third here over a mile and a quarter. Seb Sanders is booked and this likeable grey could well start favourite.

Of course there are plenty of possibilities for this end-of-season lottery but I can’t help but think Communicator is overpriced at 20-1. He was second here last year for Andrew Balding and is now running off a 3lbs lower mark.  It is true that he has not been at his best but he could just have been saved for this and he is too good to ignore at the available price.

The Queen’s Border Legend is another one with scope for improvement and came from well off the pace to win at Nottingham. I felt the leaders went off much too fast that day so he may have been slightly flattered by that victory and he also has to prove that he stays.

I’ll take the 20-1 Communicator and 7-1 about Conduct and hope that neither is drawn out in the car park!

Communicator 20-1 Bet365, Coral

Conduct 7-1 Skybet, William Hill

 

Horse Racing Preview 25th October

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The curtain may be coming down on the flat turf season but there are still some good quality cards on offer this weekend at Doncaster and Newbury. Although the going will be on the slow side, both courses are flat galloping tracks with very few hard luck stories for beaten horses.

I recently tipped Richard Hannon’s Tea In Transvaal despite the fact that she was still a maiden after four attempts and she bolted up by six lengths. The same colours are carried tomorrow by Bon Voyage who has been beaten in all four starts to date and I am anticipating a similar result. The stable have always held this colt in high regard and he has been battling away well in valuable sales races. He will find Friday’s company a lot easier to deal with and should represent value at odds of around even money.

Betting in handicaps at this time of year is a risky business but there are some tempting propositions at both flat meetings. The Artsign Handicap at 4.20 features three progressive types in Zain Eagle, Ajman Bridge and Squire Osbaldeston. Zain Eagle cruised home at Doncaster before flopping at Chester under a big weight whilst Ajman Bridge was slightly disappointing at Newmarket last time out. Preference is for Squire Osbaldeston who won comfortably at Lingfield and has the scope to make a group horse next season. I don’t expect the 4-1 with Ladbrokes to last too long.

My bet of the day at Newbury is John Gosden’s sprinter Blessington who put up a promising seasonal debut when second to Intibaah at Ascot. He was racing off a light weight that day but beat off some seasoned campaigners and must have every chance of going one better on Friday. William Buick is in the saddle and he should pick up this prize on the way to better things next season.

It promises to be an exciting weekend with The Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster and The Cox Plate in Australia.

(Doncaster) 2.40 Bon Voyage

(Doncaster) 4.20 Squire Osbaldeston 4-1 Ladbrokes

(Newbury) 5.10 Blessington 5-4 Coral

St Leger Day Preview

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We are on a roll after Lightning Thunder (5-2), The Lark (15-8) and Ihtimal (13-8). Followers of my regular column for a well-known bookmaker may have helped themselves to five consecutive winners on Friday including 10-1 shot Sir Reginald! If anyone had them in an accumulator donations are welcome!

That heaps the pressure on for the final day of the St Leger meeting. I would love to have stuck with the girls after the three flying fillies so far this week but I am entrusting the nap vote to a colt on Saturday. The horse in question is Godolphin’s Outstrip in the opening Champagne Stakes.

Anyone who saw the grey horse’s debut at Newmarket in June cannot fail to have been impressed. After a tardy start, he swept through the field to defeat stable companion True Story by a length and a half. But it was his second outing at Goodwood that marks him out as a seriously talented colt.

Racing keenly over seven furlongs in the Group 2 Veuve Cliquot Champagne Stakes at Goodwood, he was driven into the lead over a furlong out and quickly went two lengths clear. Richard Hughes was still on a high from Toronado’s Sussex Stakes victory and galvanised Toormore to cut down Outstrip on the line by a neck. Richard Fahey’s Parbold was staying on well in third place in going officially described as good to soft.

Parbold has since finished a close third in the Gimcrack Stakes at York whilst the fourth and fifth have both run respectably at Town Moor this week. One of his main rivals could be another imposing grey in the form of The Great Gatsby. He seemed to run in snatches at York last time and was possibly a little flattered by his proximity to Treaty Of Paris at the line. The betting suggests that The Great Gatsby will finish in front here but I wouldn’t be too sure.

Anjaal did nothing wrong when winning the July Stakes at Newmarket but that form has been let down since and all of his form is on a faster surface. Cable Bay ran on well in the Gimcrack and could be better suited by the extra furlong here but I feel that Outstrip will have too much dash for these if he is delivered late.

Our ante-post bet on Excess Knowledge at 7-1 has at least made it to the day of the race and it’s all in the capable hands of James Doyle. Good luck to him on his first classic ride in the famous Abdullah silks.

Outstrip 9-4 Totesport, Betfred

Doncaster Day 3 Preview

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So far so good at Doncaster this week with The Lark (15-8) confirming herself to be a top class filly in the Park Hill. The girls have been kind to us this week with Lightning Thunder (5-2) giving us a great start on Wednesday and we are sticking with the fairer sex for Friday’s card.

The filly I like in the May Hill Stakes is Godolphin’s Ihtimal. “Progressive” is possibly over-used when referring to two-year-olds but there is no doubt that this filly has got better with every race. She started off at Goodwood and had the misfortune to come up against none other than Kiyoshi. She actually gave her a run for her money and it was no disgrace to finish only a length and a half down on the subsequent Royal Ascot winner.

She was made favourite for her next outing at Newmarket but was run out of it by stable companion Wedding Ring, eventually going down by a neck. She was then upped in class and distance at Royal Ascot and took on the boys in the Chesham Stakes over seven furlongs. In finishing third to Berkshire, she split some decent colts in Bunker and Somewhat, both of whom have gone on to subsequent victories.

Ihtimal’s most recent performance was her best, storming clear to win the Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket. Interestingly she had Wedding Ring over three lengths behind in third and she was drawing away at the finish. The mile should prove no problem to the daughter of Sharmardal and I won’t be opposing her until she is beaten.

Godolphin also run Majeyda who was undone by the draw on her second start at Newmarket before bouncing back with a win at Sandown. She readily held a useful filly in Qawaasem by a neck and that form looks solid. I’m confident that Ihtimal will prove the best of the Godolphin duo but I am slightly wary of Richard Hannon’s Lustrous who won nicely at Salisbury on her debut. There is no telling how good she might be but this looks a tough assignment on only her second start.

Eleven horses have been declared for the St Leger on Saturday but I was a bit miffed to find that Feel Like Dancing was not among them. I’d tipped him at 40-1 a couple of weeks ago and earlier this week connections were said to be pleased by the ease in the ground and expecting a big run with William Buick in the saddle. Our hopes now rest on our 7-1 about Excess Knowledge. In the meantime, let’s hope that Ihtimal can provide us with a profit for the third consecutive day of the Leger meeting.

Ihtimal 7-4 Ladbrokes

Doncaster Day 2 Preview

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It was nice to get back on the winning trail on the opening day of Doncaster’s St Leger meeting, courtesy of Lightning Thunder at 5-2. She may only have scraped home but she showed plenty of promise for the future and it will be interesting to see whether trainer Olly Stevens steps her up in class with the benefit of this experience under her belt.

I am hoping that another filly can provide us with more cause for celebration on Thursday in the shape of Michael Bell’s The Lark. Regular readers will remember that I picked her out at 33-1 for the Oaks in the summer and she rewarded my support when running on strongly into third behind Talent. She has only managed to get back on the racecourse once since then due to the fast ground. Michael Bell took her over to France but the race was run at a false pace and she could never get into the race won by Pacific Rim.

I think it is safe to put a line through that race and Bell seems optimistic that she can leave that form well behind in the Park Hill Stakes on Thursday. The Lark looked like a filly with a future when she won under Hayley Turner on Town Moor last autumn. She did not reappear until the Swettenham Stud Trial at Newbury in May and was again the victim of a falsely run race. She was held up in a race run at a dawdle and quickened up well enough in the straight without threatening to get to Winsili.

That filly proved good enough to win the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood so it was a far better effort that first appeared. Ironically it is Hayley Turner that could provide the biggest threat to The Lark tomorrow when she partners Seal Of Approval. James Fanshawe’s filly is nothing if not game and battled on bravely to win a listed race at Newbury last month. Those that finished behind her that day have done little for the form and The Lark should have too much class for her.

My one concern is that I seem to be a bit of a jinx when it comes to backing Jamie Spencer. I don’t expect the field to go off at a blistering pace over this trip and I’d expect to see The Lark held up in third or fourth rather than stone last.

The Lark 7-4 Ladbrokes