1.55 Doncaster – Japan Racing Association Sceptre Stakes (Group 3)




Coverage gets underway with this Group 3 over seven furlongs for the fillies and on official ratings, the one to beat is Jeremy Noseda’s NEMORALIA. The three-year-old gave us a glimpse of her potential when winning a 6f nursery at this meeting last year and she has since gone on to win at Listed and Group 3 level. She also finished a good second in Group 1 company at Royal Ascot on ground which would have been slower than ideal for her. Her latest performance over seven furlongs at York showcased everything that was good about her as she sat in behind horses before using her turn of foot to good effect in the closing stages. The ground should be perfect for her on Town Moor and despite the fact she carries a 3lb penalty for her Group 3 success, it is hard to look past her.


However, this is far from a one-horse race and one of the more interesting contenders is Mark Johnston’s Lumiere who on her best form would be right in the mix but she has twice run well below form this term. She was well-fancied for the 1000 Guineas earlier in the season but having attempted to make all, she soon dropped away and finished last of the sixteen runners. It was a similar story at Deauville last time where she seemed to empty very quickly as though something may have been amiss. However, the puzzling bit is that she won impressively in Listed company at Newmarket in July and a repeat of that effort would make her very hard to beat. The thing is we have no idea which Lumiere will turn up until the day but if she is on her game then selection will have to be at her very best.


yThe other three-year-old of interest is La Rioja who looked to have a bright future when winning the Group 3 Dick Poole Stakes as a two-year-old but she has so far failed to live up to those expectations. Henry Candy’s filly finished a good third in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot but has been a shade disappointing when dropped in grade the last twice. She doesn’t have the acceleration of the sprinters she has been racing against so it is easy to see why connections are stepping her up to 7f, but she will need to improve a good deal to figure here.


Of the older fillies, Spangled has got her head in front twice already this term and her overall form suggests that seven furlongs is her best trip. Roger Varian has always thought a lot of her but it was only a handicap that she contested last time and this demands a good deal more.


One who could be worth keeping an eye on is Same Jurisdiction who has her first start in Britain for Ed Dunlop. The five-year-old was a dual Group 1 winner in her native South Africa and she hasn’t been seen on the racecourse since finishing a close second in Group 1 company in January. Clearly her fitness has to be taken on trust, having been off for so long but if she can transfer her form from South Africa, she should show up well for her new connections.


MY Advice


NEMORALIA – 2pts win @ 4/5 (Paddy Power)





2.30 Doncaster – Pepsi Max Flying Childers Stakes (Group 2)




This is definitely a two-year-old sprint race where experience counts for a lot as all of the last six winners had five or six previous runs & had already run in at least a Group 2 contest, so the likes of Hit The Bid, despite taking a Group 3 on his last run, could be up against it with plenty of battle-hardened sprinters in opposition.


Tis Marvellous does deserve a big mention though, despite only having the four starts to his name, especially as one of those starts was a brilliant win over Al Johrah and Prince Of Lir in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin. He hacked up by two and a half lengths that day and even though he finished last of five on his next start in the Group 1 Prix Morny, he was less than four lengths behind the freak that is Lady Aurelia. He certainly has the form in the book and shouldn’t be inconvenienced by any type of ground, so he is definitely in with a huge chance having had just one start less than the historical optimum for this race, two of which have been in pattern company for Clive Cox.


One who’s been consistently good over the last couple of month’s is Hugo Palmer’s Afandem, with a Listed win in the Prix des Reves D’Or, a very close Listed second to Big Time Baby at York in the Roses Stakes and a comfortable win in the Group 3 Prix D’Arenberg at Chantilly. He seems to be steadily improving and has plenty of race experience to bring to the party, with seven starts to his name including four wins. This is certainly another step up for the colt, but he has the speed and ability to cope with it and while he might find one or two too classy this time around, could be there or thereabouts.


On the other side of the coin, John Gosden’s Ardad has been very disappointing on his last two runs after taking the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot in deeply impressive fashion. He’s been well beaten in his last two runs in Group 2 company (July Stakes and Gimcrack Stakes) and will have to bounce back in a big way if he’s to contend here. The drying ground looks to be against him and it could be that he can only show his best form on a softer surface. However, he is dropping back to the minimum trip again here, over which he is unbeaten, so with Frankie Dettori on board, it would be dangerous to totally rule him out.


The Hannon Stable (Snr & Jnr) has won four of the last six renewals of this race and their best hope this time around looks to rest with Legendary Lunch (also run Grizzel who has a fair bit to find) who is another who has been well-beaten the last twice. He wouldn’t want the ground too quick, so the drying surface looks to be an issue, but returning to five furlongs is an interesting move considering six furlongs seems to be his optimum. He may well be made plenty of use of at the front of affairs this time around, but still has a bit to find with a few here.


Prince Of Lir looked a hugely exciting sprinter when he took the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes on just his second start, but he was well beaten behind Tis Marvellous in the Prix Robert Papin and then in the Nunthorpe, finishing 13th of 19 despite getting plenty of weight from his elders. While that wasn’t by any means a disgracing from what turned out to be an impossible high draw, he will have to run much better here to get involved. However, the £170,000 yearling has only had four runs and should have improvement still to come for a trainer who knows how to handle his sprinters in Robert Cowell.


Cowell’s two-year-old has a 2-0 record against Mark Johnston’s The Last Lion, but where Prince Of Lir hasn’t gone on just yet, Johnston’s charge is constantly progressing and winning decent races in the progress. His latest four length win in the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton on the all-weather was a nice performance, with Hugo Palmer’s highly-rated Koropick well beaten in behind. He’s tough, versatile regarding ground conditions and has never finished any worse than third past the post in any of his eight races to date, so he’ll almost certainly run a solid race.


Johnston does have another representative in the race in the form of the brilliant Group 3 Molecomb Stakes winner, YALTA. He dominated that race from start to finish; leaving The Last Lion well in his wake to win by an easy three lengths on his first start over five furlongs and breaking the course record at Goodwood in the process. He is reunited here with James Doyle after bombing out in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August, but that run, from an even worse high draw than that of Prince Of Lir, looked too bad to be true and I’m minded to put a line through it. He’s a horse that looks as if he always wants to have his head in front and the big field that day didn’t really suit – today’s 10 (Equimou a likely non-runner after finishing 3rd in Wednesday’s Scarbrough stakes) should be more suitable. On official ratings, the rest of the field have at least 7lb to find with the son of Exceed and Excel and with ground conditions probably spot on for him, if he’s anywhere close to that Goodwood form and gets to dominate from the front again, he could take a lot of beating here.


MY Advice


YALTA – 1pt win @ 4/1 (Paddy Power, SkyBet)







3.05 Doncaster – Ladbrokes Mallard Stakes (Handicap




This 1m6f contest is known by some as Doncaster’s version of the Ebor and there are a few who took in the York race en route to this engagement.


Roger Varian’s Battersea fared best in fourth, finishing about six lengths behind the winner Heartbreak City at the line. The fitting of a hood for the first time really made a big difference and having been held up early on, he made some good late headway. He carried a big weight on that occasion, something which he will have to do again here and a glance at the recent roll of honour suggests this can be hard to do.


Brian Ellison’s SEAMOUR finished just behind Battersea in fifth place and in doing so, bounced back from a poor showing at York the time before. As is normally the case, the five-year-old looked to have every chance two furlongs out but he just couldn’t pick up with the winner and ran on at the same pace. He did have the worst of the draw on that occasion and from the inside stall here, he should be able to expend less energy in the early part of the race. The cheekpieces go on for the first time which should help the horse’s concentration in the closing stages and with George Baker jocked up, I find it hard to see him being out of the frame.


Another to note from the Ebor is Mark Johnston’s Oriental Fox who despite not having won for over a year has is not getting much help from the handicapper. His last two efforts have been solid ones but he keeps bumping into rivals which are less exposed than himself. He sets a solid standard but he isn’t any better off here with those that finished in front of him at York, so he is passed over.


Charlie Appleby’s Polarisation is another who is difficult to assess, having shaped as though retaining all of his ability at Epsom in June, before running no sort of race at Newcastle when last seen. His connections offered no explanation for the poor run afterwards but having had a break since then, perhaps not all was well with the animal. He looked to have improved having been hurdling prior to his flat return and if firing on all cylinders, he can’t be dismissed lightly.


Michael Bell saddles the lightly-raced Fabricate who hasn’t been seen since May last year but his recent efforts in competitive races suggest that his turn might not be too far away. He ran a good race when fifth in the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap at Royal Ascot and seemed to appreciate the step up in trip at Chester last time. I’m not entirely sure that track was suitable for him and 1m6f around Doncaster is likely to show him in a better light. Ryan Moore gets onboard for the first time and he looks one of the big dangers.


The final one to mention is the only three-year-old in the line-up Wall Of Fire who won well in the end at York last time but it is fair to say it took him a little while to warm to the task. He was detached as the field turned for him but kept finding for William Buick and swooped past his rivals to win going away at the line. He looks a real stayer but he has failed to put in solid back to back efforts in the past and effectively up 5lb for his latest win, I think he is worth taking on at the head of the market.


MY Advice




SEAMOUR – 1pt win @ 7/1 (bet365, Ladbrokes)





3.40 Doncaster – 250th Doncaster Cup (British Champions Series) (Group 2)




A wide-open 250th renewal of the Doncaster Cup but market leader MIZZOU sets the standard on form and looks the one to beat. Luca Cumani’s colt has been fairly lightly-raced for a five-year-old having had only ten career starts and hasn’t been seen since chasing home Order of St George in the Ascot Gold Cup back in June. The son of Galileo looked to be one of the most exciting young stayers last season when landing the Group 3 Sagaro Stakes in April. He was then far from disgraced when a close-up seventh in the Gold Cup before rounding off the campaign with a creditable effort when runner-up in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at York. He has followed a similar path this season, winning the Sagaro and performing admirably in the defeat in the Gold Cup and arrives here fresher than most. That should work in his favour here against some more heavily-campaigned rivals and given he is most versatile when it comes to ground and trip, he could take a lot of stopping.


One that arrives in top form is Roger Charlton’s Quest For More on the back of his Lonsdale Cup win three weeks ago. He did seem to get the run of the race there though and it may not prove as easy to gain an uncontested lead this time around. The six-year-old could well do with the ground drying out even more than it already has to prove his effectiveness and he does step into the unknown trip-wise, stepping up 1.5 furlongs.


Conversely, Clever Cookie would prefer it to remain on the soft-side but he may still need to step up on his recent efforts to figure. He was a decent second behind the selection in the Sagaro and followed up with a narrow victory in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup. Since then however he has been well beaten in the Gold Cup and Lonsdale Cup and has something to prove if he is to keep taking his place at the top table. He looked to be staying on well when fourth in the 2014 renewal but has since not convinced that this sort of trip plays to his strengths and he may be better over slightly shorter.


Therefore, Clondaw Warrior could be the biggest danger to the selection. The nine-year-old stayed on well into second in last year’s contest and despite a couple of disappointing efforts to round off the campaign, he has since returned in top form in both spheres. He won well in a competitive handicap hurdle at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival in March and was a close third in the Scottish Champion Hurdle. The 2m 5 1/2f looked to stretch him in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot but he still finished a respectable third and followed that up with a gutsy win in the Galway Hurdle. More recently, he was seen finishing second in the Grade 3 American St. Leger and a repeat of his effort of twelve months ago would see him go close once again.


Sheikhzayedroad arrives here in fine fettle having finished third in both the Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup and could be a decent each-way play. He is still fairly unexposed in the staying-sphere but has shown enough the last twice to suggest that he can mark his mark. He does have a bit to find with a couple of these but the switch to racing left handed is a big plus for him and he has a live chance of making the frame once again.


Undoubtedly, the most intriguing runner in the field is the sole three-year-old in the field St Michel. Representing last year’s winning trainer Sir Mark Prescott, the Sea The Stars colt has been a typical improver for his handler, winning four races (and finishing second twice) since mid-June. He needs to improve again to get involved in a field as competitive as this but his latest win in a hot Goodwood handicap was a big career-best and he does have the luxury of receiving weight all round.




MY Advice




MIZZOU – 2pts win @ 9/4 (General)





4.15 Doncaster – Weatherbys Stallion Book Flying Scotsman Stakes (Listed Race)




Where else to start these days, but with a son of the great Frankel, who of course hacked up by an unbelievable 13 lengths in this race back in 2010. The Hugo Palmer-trained Majoris bolted up by seven lengths in a Nursery at Newmarket, but found things happening a little too quickly at Sandown when finishing fifth in the Group 3 Solario Stakes, won by the hugely promising South Seas, next time out. He may need genuine fast ground to show his best and the drying conditions at Doncaster should help, but while I think he’ll run a good race here, I wonder whether he’s vulnerable to some of the less-exposed contenders, who may take that leap past him.


Rodaini is unbeaten in three starts for trainer Simon Crisford, all on fast ground, and looks a progressive colt who has more to come. Costing 340,000gns as a yearling after being sold for $70,000 as a foal suggests that he was impressive at an early age and in the hands of an excellent trainer when it comes to two-year-olds, you would certainly expect further improvement. He beat a useful filly in Clef fairly comfortably last time out at Newmarket, his third success at odds-on, however quite a few of these rivals will rate plenty higher than Clef’s 82, so progress will have been necessary from that run. He has a good chance under Champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa, but again, there is a feeling that he might just be vulnerable to a completely unexposed rival.


Despite the claims of the aforementioned, more battle-hardened two-year-olds, this has traditionally been a race where a precocious one with less experience has made a big mark – all of the last nine winners had no more than two runs under their belts.


Richard Hannon’s two-year-olds always merit respect, and his once-raced winner Larchmont Lad, who has entries in the Royal Lodge Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes, certainly left us with the impression that he had plenty to offer after his easy win in a seven furlong Sandown Maiden in July that has already thrown up four winners, including the useful Maths Prize. He was much the best that day and you can only expect him to have come on for that first experience of the racetrack, so the tidy turn of foot and good staying power seen there from the son of Footstepsinthesand are surely to be seen to good effect again here and he can’t be ruled out.


Godolphin also possess some of the smartest two-year-olds in the land and the son of Exceed and Excel and a 7f Listed winner, Salsabeel, made a good start when getting the hang of things late on to win a Yarmouth maiden. The colt was quite green that day, so did very well to win, while both Novoman and Law And Order, the two horses close in behind, have both won races fairly comfortably subsequently, so the form looks relatively strong. He holds entries in the Middle Park Stakes and the National Stakes in Ireland so he’s obviously highly-regarded and it’s interesting that he goes in this rather than the Group 2 Champagne Stakes on Saturday, where he also held an entry. Of course you could take it that connections feel that he needs more experience before being able to step up to that kind of level, which would be a worry here, but he’s another who’s difficult to dismiss.


Majoris is not the only Frankel colt in action here and coming into the race unbeaten is Richard Fahey’s Senator, who has comfortably taken a Leicester maiden and a Carlisle Novice race, both over six furlongs, in his first two starts in the colours of Cheveley Park Stud. Ryan Moore takes the ride for the first time, which does inspire confidence and despite this being a big step up and neither of the races he’s run in working out form-wise (in fact they’re pretty abysmal in that respect) he still won both well, did what he had to do and has to be taken very seriously on this step up to seven furlongs for the first time, which promises to suit.


The colours of Hamdan Al Maktoum have been carried to victory in this race in both of the last two years by Paul Hanagan’s ride and this year, he partners Sir Michael Stoute’s hugely impressive Newmarket maiden winner, TAAMOL. He looked a cut above in the parade ring before his debut, oozing quality and professionalism, so it was no surprise when he showed something well above average on the track.


Despite the soft ground, he quickened eye-catchingly past a rival in Devil’s Bridge who had already shown a good level of form and stayed on powerfully to the line despite showing plenty of greenness, drifting left handed when in the clear. Hanagan was impressed after that performance, calling the colt ‘one to look forward to’ and he did look as if he had lots of scope to improve, especially if his waywardness in the closing stages has been ironed out. Being by Australian sire, Helmet, you’d think that even though he clearly coped well with ease underfoot, the likely better ground here could help to bring out more from him and he could well be anything. Stoute has taken his time with this colt and with his turn of foot and proven stamina, he might just be a very exciting horse both here and looking towards next season.




MY Advice




TAAMOL – 1pt win @ 7/4 (Paddy Power)





4.50 Doncaster – Still In The Running-FM Outsource Classified Stakes.




The 1m2f Classified Stakes looks a difficult to solve and the first place to start is with older horses and Laurence comes here on the back of a solid run over course and distance last time. Luca Cumani’s gelding bumped into a couple of rivals who were a bit more progressive on that occasion but he still ran well and managed to back up his run at Yarmouth the time before. However, he doesn’t look like an obvious winner in waiting so it might be best looking elsewhere.


One who might not be too far away from the Winner’s Enclosure is Winterval who won a similar event to this at Nottingham in July before finishing a close second back at that venue when last seen. He was dropping down in trip on that occasion but the return to 1m2f promises to suit and the fitting of blinkers for the first time could also eke out further improvement. On official ratings, he is wrong at the weights with some of his rivals but he was in good form when last seen and there could be further improvement to come from him.


However, with eight of the last ten renewals of this race having gone the way of three-year-olds it might be best to focus our attentions on the Classic generation.
The last time Calvinist was seen on a racecourse, he was running in Listed company last Autumn and despite showing some wayward tendencies under pressure, he didn’t run too badly. In fact the form of that race has worked out pretty well with the likes of Move Up, Ormito and Landofhopeandglory all having finished ahead of him. Clearly all has not been well with the three-year-old as he hasn’t been seen since but the trip should be no problem for him and he could be thrown in off his mark of 85.


Sir Michael Stoute’s Khairaat is likely to be popular in the market, having looked a decent prospect on his two starts to date. He bumped into the smart You’re Hired on his debut back in July but had no problem going one better at Pontefract a couple of weeks later. He stretched clear in the closing stages to win well that day and it would be no surprise to see further improvement here. One slight negative would be how keen he was at Pontefract which could prove troublesome over this longer trip for the first time.


With that in mind, I am going to take a chance on INDULGED who managed to get her head in front at Ripon in June. She was disappointing on soft ground at Windsor next time but returned to a sounder surface, she ran well at Goodwood last time, just showing signs of inexperience in the closing stages. She had travelled smoothly into the race and you get the impression that we haven’t seen the best of her yet. The Fanshawe yard are in good form at present and having taken this prize two years ago, I think this filly is likely to go close in an open contest.




MY Advice




INDULGED – 1pt win @ 9/2 (Paddy Power)





5.25 Doncaster – Coopers Marquees Handicap Stakes.




This looks to be an ultra-competitive handicap despite only 10 going to post with the majority of the field having a realistic chance.


As the only three-year-old lining up, Sixth Sense receives a handy 4lb pull with the rest of the field but looks to have it all to do on his first run back for nearly a year. The son of Shamardal was an impressive winner of the Listed Winkfield Stakes on King George Day at Ascot last year, beating Platitude into second, and looked to be a colt going places. He didn’t really kick on after that though and was well beaten in three subsequent starts, for all that they were in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, Group 2 Royal Lodge and Group 3 Prix de Chenes. He is bred to stay well so it is a bit of a surprise that he has been dropped back in trip for his first run of this campaign. In a race as hot as this, he may be best watched until showing a similar level form to that he achieved last July.


Burnt Sugar is another that showed useful form as a juvenile but hasn’t managed to get his head in front since landing the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton over two years ago. He showed signs of a revival when a good sixth in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot but has been very disappointing in three runs since then, including when third at Leicester on Tuesday. He has at least dropped to a workable mark now 1lb lower than when a close-up second in a valuable Newmarket handicap last August but will have no easy task conceding weight all round.


Another reappearing having run recently is Normandy Barriere who ran a blinder to finish fourth in a competitive Ascot handicap on Saturday. That was his sternest test yet, stepping up to a Class 2 for the first time, and he acquitted himself very well as he stayed on strongly at the end of the race. The extra half furlong here looks to be his perfect foil on the back of that display but he is effectively operating on a 7lb higher mark here without the help of Lewis Edmunds’ invaluable claim.
Gallant grey Northgate Lad has had a revival this summer having been out of form for the best part of the year. The four-year-old ran a couple of very good races on the all-weather at Newcastle earlier in the season but now finds himself 2lb higher than his last winning mark and 10lb higher than when runner-up last time out without the help of Ben Robinson’s 7lb claim.


Get Knotted has been operating at the top of his game the majority of the campaign and now finds himself on a career-high mark. Nevertheless, he is still only 4lb higher than when winning a competitive handicap at York in July and has to be respected now reunited with regular rider Paul Mulrennan. It does seem a bit of a puzzling move to drop him back half a furlong in trip (shortest distance he has faced since shedding his maiden tag at Ayr nearly two years ago) and although he doesn’t look like he lacks speed, the suspicion is that he may be found out by one or two sharper types here.


Preference, therefore, is for NUNO TRISTAN who represents the Richard Fahey stable that have landed this contest twice in the last six years. He has proven steadily progressive all campaign and has ran some blinders in big handicaps since scoring at Redcar in June. He was very unlucky not to finish closer when fifth in the International at Ascot in June before producing a career-best effort to finish third in the Stewards’ Sprint at Glorious Goodwood. His latest fourth was a respectable display and dropping back to the intermediate 6.5 furlong trip here off the same mark, should put him right up there. His style of running sometimes puts paid to his chances but being held up in a smaller field by the master tactician Jamie Spencer, could prove to be the making of him.


MY Advice




NUNO TRISTAN – 1pt win @ 3/1 (Paddy Power)