Racing Chat - Saturday September 11th

[The Brigadier]

The final day of the St Leger meeting at Doncaster plus a couple of races from Chester (with a decent betting opportunity) and the Irish Champion Stakes from Leopardstown are all covered by terrestrial TV this Saturday and here’s my thoughts on those seven contests :-

 

Doncaster 1.45

The Portland handicap is one of the season’s great handicap sprints and is run over an intermediate trip of 5 1/2F. Last years winner Stone Of Destiny is back to defend his title but is 7lb higher now so that will be tough. Likely favourite is top weight Hurricane Ivor who’s in excellent form and should be in the mix but at around 6/1 I’ll pass on him and take a couple of bigger priced ones against him. Jawwaal is part of my staking plan as he has such a good record at the track (321011) although the zero is when bombing out in this contest last year which is a bit of a concern. He’s been running consistently well all season and James Doyle looks an interesting jockey booking. The other sprinter I want on my side is Justanotherbottle who also arrives in good shape following a Great St Wilfrid victory with a decent 2nd in the Beverley Bullet. This trip looks ideal for him with Kevin Stott riding for the in form Kevin Ryan. Plenty of others can be given chances but I’ll stick with that pair each way with enhanced place terms. 

JUSTANOTHERBOTTLE 1 point each way @ 12/1 1/5^th 123456 William Hills

JAWWAAL 1 point each way @ 10/1 1/4 12345 Bet365

 

Chester 2.00

A listed contest to be run over 1M 4F of this tight turning track. Last years winner Alignak hasn’t been seen since but is joint top rated and Sir Michael Stoute’s grey entire should be thereabouts. Also top rated with him is the Andrew Balding trained Alounak who’s latest effort was an excellent third place in the Skybet Ebor off of a big weight. He won’t mind dropping back in distance and if taking to this unique track can take all the beating. Wells Farhh Go was market mover on Thursday but he’s been a shade disappointing and not seen enough to be of any interest here. Throne Hall is the other runner with a chance but I’ll take Alounak to beat Alignak. 

ALOUNAK 2 points win @ 5/2 Bet365

 

Doncaster 2.20

The Group 2 Champagne Stakes has attracted a small but select field of just four with John & Thady Gosden’s Reach For The Moon looking to do what his female stablemate did on Town Moor on Thursday in the May Hill Stakes. The Queen’s Sea The Stars colt has won his last two starts  at Newbury by 4L (from subsequent triple winner Harrow) and Sandown by 4L and looks a terrific long term prospect with next years Derby the target. Frankie Dettori is in excellent form this week at the track and he will be hard to beat although he has a live threat here in the smart Lusail who he himself has done little wrong this season winning 4 of his 5 starts including the Group 2 July Stakes and the Gimcrack Stakes. He has to shoulder a 3lb penalty for those victories and can push the Gosden colt to the line but preference is for the current Epsom Derby favourite who may can be doubled up with Leger favourite Highland Lane.

 

Chester 2.35

This 1m 6F 87yds handicap features to my eyes the best bet of the day. Arrow Of Gold is lightly raced but was comprehensively put in his place by Tricorn at Thirsk on his handicap debut in June and that horse has been beaten three times since. Kevin Ryan’s Galileo gelding is still the one to beat but I’ll take him on with top weight Hochfeld who’s got an outstanding record at the track with form figures of 11223 with the two seconds coming in listed company and the 3rd in this year’s Chester Cup off of a 2lb higher mark. He wasn’t disgraced in last Saturday’s Old Borough Cup at Haydock and now reverting back to his favourite hunting ground off of a winning mark looks decent each way value. Mark Johnstone’s 7lb apprentice Jonny Peate rides here and has impressed me this season having scored a double at Newcastle earlier in the week. He’s scored on 13 of his 83 mounts at a decent 16% win rate and his 7lb may turn out to be a steal. The only negative aspect is he’s drawn 10 of 10 but this is a 14F race where he can hopefully drop in and come with a late surging run. 

HOCHFELD 2 points each way @ 5/1 1/5 123 Bet365

 

Leopardstown 2.45

What a race we have in store here despite only four going to post for the Irish Champion Stakes. I am a massive fan of Dermot Weld’s Tarnawa and see her as the most likely Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winner this year despite the strong three year old team around but Weld did say in the week that that is her main aim and with that in mind I’m going to over look her here dropping back in trip although I can see her running a massive race. Jim Bolger saddles his consistent three year old Poetic Flare and he too looks sure to run a big race but I have to select St Mark’s Basilica here as he has looked the real deal this season winning the French 2000, French Derby and Coral Eclipse at this trip. His defeat of Addeybb  last time at Sandown with subsequent easy Juddmonte International Stakes winner Mishriff back in third was  top class and Aidan O’Briens star three year old can take this in a race that I can’t wait for. 

ST MARKS BASILICA 2 points win @ 6/5 Boylesports

 

Doncaster 3.00

The Group 2 Park Stakes is run over 7F and can go the way of the Newmarket based Roger Varian trained Laneqash who bounced back from a 294 day absence to run Sacred to a length in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury last month. He’s wisely been given a month to get over those exertions and looks a decent bet here unless the ground was to turn soft as he proved last backend in the Horris Hill at Newbury that that doesn’t suit this Cable Bay colt. Officially rated only a pound behind the selection is the Owen Burrows Shadwell colt Danyah who won a valuable Ascot handicap when last seen in July. Both Laneqash and Danyah are in the same ownership and the owner retained jockey Jim Crowley has picked Laneqash which looks like a tip in itself. Charlie Appleby saddles two runners in D’bai and Glorious Journey with preference for the latter but the Varian runner is a strong fancy on decent ground. 

LANEQASH 3 points win @ 7/4 BetVictor

 

Doncaster 3.35

This year’s Cazoo St Leger has attracted 10 runners and features a strongly fancied odds on favourite in the Charlie Appleby trained  Hurricane Lane who’s firm credentials are head and shoulders above the rest here having won the Irish Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris over 12F. The question is will he stay? He certainly sees his races out like he will and I believe he will. The interesting runner in the field is High Definition who has been supplemented for this at the cost of £40k and will be ridden by Frankie Dettori wearing cheek pieces for the first time (the horse not the jockey!). To be honest I’ve given up with the horse and a,though this trip will no doubt suit I can’t  see him worrying the favourite. Aidan O’Brien saddles four including the aforementioned High Definition with Interpretation already proven at the trio and may end up the best of the quartet with Hollie Doyle taking a rare ride for the Ballydoyle maestro. The most likely winner here is Hurricane Lane and from a punting aspect I will double him up with Reach For The Moon from the earlier Champagne Stakes. 

HURRICANE LANE / REACH FOR THE MOON 3 points win double

 

[fd1972uk]

UUsed a couple of free bets, got a win on the footy last night but just gonna concentrate more on footy rather than hosses. 

Also via free bets put on 110 Leopards torn, John The Baptiste and Once upon a River. 

Also a free bet on Hurricane Ivor, although may choose another between Mondammej and Jawaal, still at decent odds. 

 

Edited September 11, 2021 by fd1972uk