St Leger Festival Doncaster - Wednesday and Thursday Selections

The St Leger is the oldest classic in British Horse Racing, and happens at Doncaster next Saturday, with Sir Michael Stoute having the hot favourite Sea Moon, aiming to give the trainer his second Leger win after Conduit breaking his duck in 2008. The festival kicks off on Wednesday with a seven race card, and the cards getting better with everyday leading up the big day on Saturday.

Wednesday starts off with an interesting card, focused on the older horses, including a listed race, conditions races and a group two race for older fillies and mares.

The Group Two race, the Park Hill Stakes, looks a strong renewal, with recent listed winner Motrice for Seb Sanders and Sir Mark Prescott making a quick turnaround, and the consistent mare of Clive Cox Polly’s Mark providing stiff competition. That being said the best horse on ratings, and the proven stayer is David Lanigan’s star filly MEEZNAH, who bounced back to form in a big way when winning the Lillie Langtry Stakes (Group 3) at the recent Goodwood Festival. Meeznah had the beating of both Motrice and Polly’s Mark that day, and looked an out and out stayer, grinding out a win under Frankie Dettori, who keeps the ride once more. Although she disappointed last time out when finishing seventh in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, she was giving a stone away to the three year olds, and was never going well, and was very much eased by Frankie. This race looks far easier than the recent group three behind Leger fancies Brown Panther and Census and she can bounce back to form at Doncaster on Wednesday.

JET AWAY is a horse who seemed to have a very bright future when building on his

three year old career, and coming out on her first start as a four year old, beating decent yardstick Sri Putra, who has form in the book such as finishing second behind Twice Over in an Eclipse, and third behind multiple group one winners Rewilding and So You Think in the St James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was unlucky to finish second behind Passion for Gold in a listed race at Goodwood, when finding little after coming up cruising. Dropped down to 10f from 12f should suit, and given the colt’s pedigree, there could be bags of improvement to come from this son of Cape Cross, and he looks to have some star quality in a fairly modest conditions race.

HAMISH MCGONAGALL is one of the most resilient sprinters in training, and goes for the ever popular Easterby yard when running in the Scarborough Stakes (Class 1) on Wednesday, and looks to have a very strong chance in a competitive listed race. He took a while to get into the swing of things this year, after a promising conditions stakes victory, finishing down the field in two group two races, although not beaten by any greater than 6 lengths. He then finished well in group races in Chantilly and at the Curragh, before a good second to Margot Did in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York just three weeks ago. That form has improved by Hoof It running an excellent race in the Haydock Sprint Cup, finishing a head behind group one sprinters Dream Ahead and Bated Breath. His form is rock solid, and streets ahead of his rivals. The only threats appear to be Dinkum Diamond and Medicean Man, who will need to improve further to get anywhere near the impressive six year old.

3.00 Doncaster (Thursday) – Meeznah (Nap)

3.10 Doncaster (Wednesday) – Hamish McGonagall

4.20 Doncaster (Wednesday) – Jet Away

The Yorkshireman – Jack Milner

Saturday Tipping - Goodwood and Newmarket

Glorious Goodwood has absolutely lived up to its name and reputation as a festival, and I feel extremely privileged to have seen many racehorses of utter class in my time, but Frankel winning the Sussex Stakes puts him top of my mental pecking order ahead of Sea The Stars and Zarkava.

Frankel winning the Sussex Stakes is another example of the ‘Classic Generation’ having the apparent upper hand over the older horses, and they can continue this trend in the Nassau Stakes in MISTY FOR ME. The Nassau is a Group One contest for fillies and mares over 1m 2f and attracts horses of the highest calibre, The Aidan O’ Brien trained filly built on her dual group one two year old career in emphatic style winning the Irish 2000 Guineas and then the Pretty Polly Stakes, with the Pretty Polly performance being the stand out, destroying Midday, who she will reoppose here again on Saturday. Misty for Me has proven that her optimum trip is over the distance, tiring in the Epsom Oaks, yet staying on in the Irish guineas, and given the fact three year olds are given 9lb due to weight for age, she should be very hard to beat.

The Stewards Cup is the marmite of betting opportunities –some people love it, some people hate it. There will be a field of 30 runners trying to win this Class 2 handicap, and instead of taking a chance with an outsider, we are playing it safe and sticking with the top weight, the best horse by far in the race, HOOF IT. Kieren Fallon seems to get on tremendously well with this horse, which landed another plunge for trainer Mick Easterby when winning the SkyBet Dash at York, a 20 runner handicap as 3/1 favourite. He is clearly one of those horses that come along that is a group horse slumming it in handicap company, much like Royal Ascot winner Deacon Blues, and as long as the horse deals with the ‘bounce factor’, the Easterby’s could be landing another one of their famous gambles Saturday.

We switch our attention to Newmarket for our final selection, is for in form trainer Andrew Balding, who seems to thrive in tricky handicaps, and has another potential leading player in LAY TIME, whose form looks absolutely rock solid. The filly made her debut last year in a Salisbury maiden, which was won by Group horse for Sir Michael Stoute Shim Sham, and had UAE Oaks winner Khawlah in second. Lay Time finished fifth that day, and then went and won a maiden on her seasonal debut this year, winning a 7 runner maiden over 7f two weeks ago by three lengths. The Balding yard is synonymous with horses coming on for their runs, and this daughter of supersire Galileo looks like the sky is the limit for her.

2.20 Newmarket – Lay Time (Nap)

3.10 Goodwood – Misty For Me

3.45 Goodwood – Hoof It

The Yorkshireman – Jack Milner

Midwwek Turfing Talk - July 13th 211 - Sandown Park and Catterick Bridge

This Wednesday (13^th July) there is a fantastic spread of racing to choose from, with cards spread across three countries, two codes and seven meetings. From this choice of over fourty races I have whittled things down to just three selections in the hope of providing our loyal followers with a nice profit to tee up their weekend punting plans.

Our first selection comes from Catterick in the heart of Yorkshire. The local trainers are usually those to keep an eye out for, especially when the money is down. Trainers such as Richard Fahey, Mark Johnston and David O’ Meara have experienced success in the last few years, however this year it has all been about the EASTERBY family, with both Mick and nephew Tim experiencing a fantastic year thus far. Tim, in particular, seems to have a really good bunch of two year olds.

He has a runner of note in the 2.50, a novice auction race, where his horse PIECE BY PIECE is likely to go off a hot favourite. Piece By Piece won a six furlong maiden at Ripon, which has worked out well, some of those behind coming out to win subsequently. He then ran second recently at Newcastle to a smart horse of Tom Tate’s, Parc De Launay, losing by a neck. His form looks solid enough and the step up to seven furlongs should prove a help rather than a hindrance.

The Henry Candy yard is flying at the minute, in particular when stable jockey Dane O’ Niell is on board. Out of the 44 rides he has had for his boss this year, he has had 11 winners and 13 further places. The team can have further success with BLESS YOU, a recent maiden winner who makes her debut in handicap company for the first time in the 6:50 at Sandown on Wednesday. The filly has been given a mark of 82, which means she will carry top weight, however she looks to have bags of improvement to come, and has improved with every run thus far. The maiden form looks strong, with half the field at least placed in their subsequent runs, and she looks the one to beat.

Further down the card at Sandown there looks to be another horse of interest in the Mark Tompkins trained BATTERY POWER, complete with eye-catching jockey booking Kieren Fallon. The Royal Applause filly is stepping up to 1m 6f for the first time, and looks like one to keep an eye on. Since winning her maiden with relative ease at Southwell back in November, she was stepped up to 10 furlongs on her reappearance, and finished fourth of six. She was entitled to that run, having been off for 200 days . The recent promise she showed when finishing second in a Classified Stakes race at Newmarket earmarks her as the potential value in a trappy handicap.

2.50 Catterick – Piece By Piece (Nap)

6.50 Sandown – Bless You

8.50 Sandown – Battery Power

The Yorkshireman – Jack Milner