LEGER LATEST: ATZENI IS ON ZECHARIAH: The Saturday tug-o-war for Tom Marquand has been won by his boss, of course: Marquand will ride William Haggas’ Alenquer in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and the mount on Zechariah for Team Meade in the St Leger at Doncaster goes to Andrea Atzeni, though Marquand was on board for his trial win at Newbury last month.
IT’S GOING TO BE A TOUGH BETTING DAY: The St Leger meeting starts today with a seven-race Doncaster card welcome for its 82 runners but with tough races to solve and a going worry: it’s likely to be ‘good to soft’ or deeper, with showers expected on a ‘good, good to soft’ forecast.
Headlines:
DRINKS ARE ON 40.0 BARBILL
IT’S ANOTHER MODERN DANCE
SAM AND SANDY CAN MAKE ALL
BLUES READY TO BOUNCE BACK
UNION WEIGHTED TO STRIKE
DRINKS ARE ON 40.0 BARBILL
⭕ 1.50 Doncaster (Apprentice Handicap) Champion for half-an-hour. That’s how it used to be year on year for the start of the Flat as apprentices battled out the opening race.
This year the Brocklesby launched the Doncaster season and two divisions of the apprentice handicap were races seven and eight on the card.
Jonny Peate, who rode the winner of the second division, is back on Town Moor today to ride Glorious Rio, Carlisle scorer twice in August, and a winner for him four times last summer-into-autumn.
Making a name for himself has been Harry Davies (Stone Of Destiny) 55 winners so far this year, Ryan Sexton (Barbill who has dropped a stone) 38 winners, Frederick Larson (on hat-trick seeker Intervention) 27, Harry Russell (Magical Max) 21, Sean Kirrane (Roach Power) 18 and Faye McManoman (Vaunted) 15.
It’s last-chance saloon for Stone Of Destiny, who is a standout on his Portland win at Doncaster two years ago at this meeting; 10lb lower today and didn’t like the small field on the last day after being ‘repeatedly short of room’ in the Stewards Sprint at Goodwood but tends to find his own hiding place.
Betdaq Betting Exchange value 8.0 Stone Of Destiny, 16.5 Glorious Rio, 40.0 Barbill
IT’S ANOTHER MODERN DANCE
⭕ 2.25 Doncaster (2yo handicap) Eight out of the last 10 winners of this nursery were drawn from 2 to 5.
It features the Chesham fourth, Finn’s Charm (stall 4); Indian Dream (2) unlucky at York when not clear run the last day; and Modern Dancer, winner on his debut over the CD at Doncaster.
Charlie Appleby, who saddles Modern Dancer, won this last year with Modern Games, who went on to a four-timer and success in the French Guineas.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 2.62 Modern Dancer
SAM AND SANDY CAN MAKE ALL
⭕ 3.00 Doncaster (Leger Legends) Eight out of the last 10 winners of this one-mile Classified were aged 3 or 4.
Previous winning riders are back for more: Gary Bardwell (Ebury), Sammy Jo Bell (Absolute Dream) and Brian Harding (Temper Trap), but all three are on older horses.
Like the apprentices’ race this is an event for pinstickers but the dominant age group and a 1-to-8 draw on this straight mile suggest you need to aim your pin at six who fit the stats.
They are: Dougies Dream (drawn 6), Fiftyshadesaresdev (1), Lednikov (8), Nurseclaire (5), Sandy Paradise (4) and, leaning a bit more towards the middle of the track, Codify (out of gate 9).
Pace-horse Sandy Paradise looks a beach-buggy ride for Sam Waley-Cohen, whose last mount was 50-1 Noble Yeats over the dune-high fences of the Grand National in April.
BETDAQ value 13.0 Sandy Paradise
BLUES READY TO BOUNCE BACK
⭕ 3.35 Doncaster (Sceptre Fillies Stakes) A rating of 101 to 110 traps most winners of this Group 3 (7f), and suggests we concentrate on Novemba, Heredia, Umm Kulthum and Bounce The Blues, though Nectaris (99) has already finished close up at today’s level twice, including beaten a nose in the Brownstown, playing a front-running role.
Novemba won the 2021 German 1,000 Guineas and has remained at a mile, but this 7f will be within her compass if the rain gets into the ground. She made most of the running behind Alcohol Free in the Coronation Stakes.
Heredia won four in a row up to and including the Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot but has found Listed and Group 3 beyond her since.
Umm Kulthum has won in both but she has spent seven out of eight races in 6f company, after fading in the Fred Darling first run back, and deepening ground would make it more difficult to get the trip.
Bounce The Blues was third in the Sceptre in 2020 and was beaten only a head in a big field at Ascot last October. She was big early doors but is down to 6.8 as I write, seemingly laid out for the race.
BETDAQ value 4.6 Novemba, 6.8 Bounce The Blues
UNION WEIGHTED TO STRIKE
⭕ 4.10 Doncaster (5f Listed) Six out of the last seven winners came from stalls 2 to 5 but I still wouldn’t rule out previous winner, Equilateral (gate 9), for three times successful since 2015, Charles Hills.
The pace horses in a Listed over 6f at Newmarket last month, Manaccan (third) and Mo Celita (sixth and needs the rain today), are well drawn in 2 and 4 and have Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori doing the steering. A firmer surface would help Lovely Mana (gate 5).
King Of Stars (in 3) was beaten by Tis Marvellous on good to soft at Ascot a year or so back, and a similar distance by the same horse at Beverley the last day. He was only fifth to Manaccan back at Ascot (firm) last month.
The two-year-old Union Court (the one stall) gets almost two stone from those at the front of the market. Has been running well on firm ground, including second at Listed level at Newbury.
Her sire won the Molecomb on the soft, so the filly cannot be ruled out for a stable on cloud nine after winning the Moulin on Sunday.
BETDAQ value 8.8 Union Court, 9.8 Mo Celita
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Doncaster (win 50 + place 10, win 20 x 2)
BET 1.25pts win and 2.25 place BARBILL
BET 2.85pts win STONE OF DESTINY
BET 1.3pts win GLORIOUS RIO
2.25 Doncaster (win 12, nap)
BET 7.5pts win MODERN DANCER
3.00 Doncaster (win 18)
BET 1.5pts win SANDY PARADISE
3.35 Doncaster (win 12)
BET 3.3pts win NOVEMBA
BET 2pts win BOUNCE THE BLUES
4.10 Doncaster (win 12)
BET 1.5pts win UNION COURT
BET 1.4pts win MO CELITA
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