Today’s horse racing preview selections come from the third day of the St Leger meeting at Doncaster, with three Group races on the card with the Doncaster Cup Stakes being the main feature.
13.20 Doncaster – Weatherby’s Bank Foreign Exchange Flying Scotsman Stakes (Listed) (7f)
Richard Hannon’s horses have suddenly dried up, currently 1-23 with his juveniles, he saddles two contenders here in De Bruyne Horse and Tigre Du Terrre. The former drops back into company that will better suit him, having been beaten convincingly on his past two runs. De Bruyne Horse returns to the level that saw him land the Listed Prix Des Jouvenceaux Des Jouvencelles at Vichy.
This will be the softest conditions he has encountered, and this would give me concern that he will act on the ground. Hannon’s Tigre Du Terre looks the first string here on bookings, Ryan Moore rode him when finishing fourth in the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes, the form-line is working out quiet well with the runner up Another Batt winning the Group 3 Trakya Trophy out in Turkey and Alba Power who ran well to finish fourth in this years Goffs Yearlings Stakes at York.
The question for me though on Tigre Du Terre’s chances here is the fact that he has not really progressed from his maiden win at Ascot back in July, in fact has probably become backward and could improve once turning three. This race over the four renewals has gone to either Godolphin or Hamden Al Maktoum and the boys in blue are represented here with what is today’s selection in Aqabah.
Watching his Curragh run when fourth in the Listed Marble Hill Stakes, he took some time to get going under Pat Smullen, but was beaten by the smart Brother Bear who has not been able to put that win to good use in pattern company. However the third US Navy Flag, franked the form when landing the Group 3 Tower Stakes, the sixth place finisher Sioux Nation has gone on to land the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes and added the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes to his resume last month.
Aqabah looked to have been getting the hang of things in the closing stages at the Curragh and can step back into more comfortable territory after two non positive efforts at pattern level.
AQABAH : 2pt Win @ SP (BOG)
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13.50 Doncaster – Japan Racing Association Sceptre Stakes (Group 3) (7f)
It’s been seven years since we have seen a winning favourite of this renewal, in fact the average SP price has been around 11/1 with the last five of the past six renewals going to double figure priced entries. So we have a race with value. If the ground stays soft this is a big opportunity for Hughie Morrison’s Pirouette to show that her Listed win in Germany was no fluke. She relished the conditions that day when routing her rivals by five lengths when at the head of the market.
Apart form her run in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes when finishing mid division, she has really been consistent to the level that she deserves to record her first pattern win of her career. Best of the rest, Eternally got the better of Tomyris when they met in the Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood, there was just a head between them, but considering Eternally was only having her first seasonal run, she is probably open to more improvement over Roger Varian’s Tomyris, but the trainer has won this the past two years so Varian’s entry cannot be discounted lightly.
PIROUETTE : 1pt each way @ 8/1 (BOG)
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14.25 Doncaster – Wainwrights Flying Childers Stakes (Group 2) (5f)
When this race was first inaugurated, fillies dominated this race taking nine of the ten renewals from 2000-2009, since then the colts have showed domination and this year I cannot see the trend changing. Today’s NAP comes by the way of Havana Grey. He has been a useful juvenile for Karl Burke this season winning four of his seven career runs which have seen him take races such as National Stakes, Dragon Stakes and Molecomb Stakes.
He had his first taste of Group 1 action when going to Deauville to tackle the Prix Morny, he was unlucky not to of come home victorious when run down by Unfortunately. His key to his current ability is the ground for me, soft to heavy conditions he is hard to beat and this is the case today.
One at a price, Scott Dixon’s Wings Of The Rock could outrun her 40/1 market price, She finished fourth to Havana Grey in the Molecomb Stakes, the runner up Invincible Army recently landed the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton and she is proven more than some on soft ground.
HAVANA GREY : 4pt Win @ 11/8 (BOG)
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15.35 Doncaster – Doncaster Cup Stakes (Group 2) (17.9f)
Two I just want to focus on here is Andrew Balding’s Montaly and David Simcocks smart stayer Sheikhzayedroad who won this last year. Montaly just got the better of Dartmouth in a thrilling finish to the Lonsdale Cup Stakes at York, but I have concerns of the ground, he has had four attempts on soft ground which have all ended in defeat, with two seconds in there also.
So a positive selection here in Sheikhzayedroad who was very unlucky I thought to finish fourth behind Montaly at York, he travelled strongly into the race until finding trouble two furlongs from home. He will get the advantage of 3lb from Montaly this afternoon, and with the way the race was panning out last time I expect him to be a lot closer this time around.
SHEIKHZAYDROAD : 2pt Win @ 5/1 (BOG)
Best of Luck, Bet Responsibly
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