Racing Chat - Thursday 8th September

[The Brigadier]

The ground is currently good (good to soft in places) as of 8.30 AM Wednesday with the Yorkshire track so far missing many of the heavy rain that has hit parts of the country (Catterick was heavy yesterday). I’ve analysed todays races on the assumption that it will ride just on the soft side of good but obviously with showers around that could quite easily change by race time.

 

Doncaster 1.25

A ten runner 6F 111 yard nursery is first up today at Doncaster on day two (of four) of their St Leger meeting. Theres very much an open look about the race with the outsider sonly being a general 14/1 chance. There’s little between current favourite Bonny Angel and Lily In The Jungle on Leicester form from last month and both have claims but I’ll take a chance with the Marco Botti trained Coco Jamboo who’s making her handicap debut following three promising runs over 6F. Her latest third when a well supported favourite came at Kempton and although at the line was a 3 1/4L third which may have looked a tad disappointing at the time , the subsequent efforts of the two that finished ahead of her that day suggest that it wasn’t a bad effort by any accounts. The winner Amichi has won a valuable sales race at Newmarket whilst the runner up Delirious Dream landed the odds in a Catterick maiden. Andrea Atzeni rides Town Moor better than any jockey in the weighing room currently and he gets the leg up today.

 

COCO JAMBOO 1 point each way @9/1 William Hill 1/5 123

 

Doncaster 2.00

Fifteen go to post for this £300,000 guaranteed two year old stakes contest run over 6F 111 yards. Cold Case comes here having finished third in the group 2 Gimcrack at York last time (beaten 5L) and sets the standard. He does have to give weight all round though and there are others with claims also here. The bottom pair Legend Of Xanadu and Waiting All Night both receive 10lb and at double figure odds aren’t out of this. William Haggas saddles an interesting runner in Alpha Capture, a Carlisle novice stakes winner who sports first time cheek pieces today. He’ll need to step up from that here but is open to plenty of improvement. The horse I fancy though is one of the three Richard Hannon runners in Magical Sunset. The Amo Racing colt was an unfancied 14/1 chance on his racecourse debut at Windsor 24 days ago when just holding off the late challenge of the Varian newcomer Sakheer by half a length pulling just under five lengths clear of the remainder. Sakheer has come out and won in scintillating fashion since and looks all over a serious group performer going forward. As long as he can cope with the potentially easier ground he should run a big race.

 

MAGICAL SUNSET 1 1/2 points each way @ 4/1 bet365 1234

 

Epsom 2.15

The jump jockeys Derby is run over the full Derby course and although a bit of a gimmicky race there is always a winner to be found. The three at the top of the market all appear to hold good chances. Rozalia comes here in good form and will be ridden by Harry Cobden whilst Thibault will be ridden by James Davies and comes here on the back of a good second over course and distance in the amateur riders Derby ten days ago. Irish raider Derry Lad is trained by Kevin Thomas Coleman and will be ridden by Aidan Coleman (not sure if they’re related!) and has been placed in two decent enough handicaps at Ballinrobe and Curragh this Summer in his native country. He should run well. The best of the bigger priced horses and worth a small each way wager is Kings Castle who will be ridden by Rex Dingle here. He’s recently joined the predominately jumps trainer Jeremy Scott from the recently retired Joseph Tuite. He ran well on his only start at this unique track when second a year ago and was a comfortable winner in softish ground at Newbury in June of this year in an amateur riders handicap. Scott has an amazing record with his flat runners winning with 9 of his 48 runners in the last five years and an even better 5 from 13 this flat season - a staggering 38% win ratio. It’s worth chancing that the Somerset based handler has done his magic with the five year old gelding and can be backed each way with additional places.

 

KING’S CASTLE 1 point each way @ 12/1 bet365 1/5th 1234

DERRY LAD 1 point each way @ 9/2 bet365 1/5th 1234

 

Doncaster 2.35

This looks a great chance for the Charlie and Mark Johnstone trained Dance In The Grass to maintain her unbeaten run in this group 2 Mill Hill Stakes run over a mile for two year old fillies. One of three Jaber Abdullah owned fillies she’s looked good in winning a decent maiden and listed contest over 7F at Sandown, beating Fairy Cross 3/4L last time with the pair pulling 6L clear of the remainder. Fairy Cross has franked the form by winning a group 3 since at Goodwood and she will be very hard to beat with the extra furlong sure to suit. She’s only run on good and fast ground but her breeding suggests she should handle easier ground being by soft ground specialist Cracksman out of a dam who won twice on good to soft herself. The second favourite is Andrew Balding’s Frankness who’s promising having won two small races at Chester but is rated some 20lb inferior to the selection. Dance In The Grass is a confident selection.

 

DANCE IN THE GRASS 4 points win @ 11/8 William Hill

 

Doncaster 3.10

Just eight go to post for this year’s renewal of the group 2 Park Hill Stakes for three year old and older fillies and mares. We have a warm favourite here in John and Thady Gosden’s Eshaada who will love any rain that falls on Town Moor. A group one winner of the Fillies and Mares at Ascot last October she run well when third to her smart stable companion Free Wind in the Lancashire Oaks ten weeks ago. She holds rivals Believe In Love and Nell Quickly on that run. Her stable companion Mimikyu pulled too hard last time when flopping and a first time hood is employed today to try and help her. The one to chase Eshaada home may well be Ralph Beckett’s Yesyes who probably needed the run (and the ground was too fast) when 4th in the Lillie Langtry on her re-appearance, a neck and a short head behind rival Urban Artist. She can come forward for that run and with conditions to suit is the chief danger to my selection Eshaada.

 

ESHAADA 2 points win @ 6/4 bet365

 

Doncaster 3.45

A class 2 7F handicap for three year olds only where the Roger Varian trained favourite Zainalarab will be hard to beat. Raised only 5lb for a comprehensive victory last time out at Sandown on his handicap debut following on from wins at Salisbury and Chester. Those three wins have all been gained on good or fast ground so if the ground was to turn on the soft side it will ask questions about him. His sire Wooton Basset won a group one on heavy ground whilst his dam raced predominately on the all weather with her sire Invincible Spirit unproven on soft ground. If he handles the ground I think he wins although with a slight doubt over the ground I’ll be keeping the stakes small. One horse who won’t mind the ground if it’s on the soft side is the William Haggas Spirit Of Nguru who is lightly raced and looks a danger to the selection.

 

ZAINALARAB 1 point win @ 15/8 William Hill

 

[ipswich45]

one of each from Doncaster
1325 - 1 Cathy Come Home    Unplaced
1400 - 8 Magical Sunset   Unplaced
1435 - 5 Ferrari Queen  Unplaced
1510 - 6 Yesyes  Unplaced
1545 - 9 BillyB  Unplaced
1620 - 3 Masekela  Unplaced
1655 - 4 Helvetian  Unplaced
1728 - 7 Little Muddy  3rd

Chepstow
1500 - 6 Uffington   2nd
1645 - 4 Rhubarb   3rd

Epsom
1340 - 8 Beauty Choice   Unplaced
1415 - 6 Military Decoration  3rd
 

Edited September 8, 2022 by ipswich45