It’s day one of Doncaster’s St Leger Festival on Thursday afternoon and the live action on Town Moor will light up the ITV racing coverage. There are five fabulous races taking place in front of the terrestrial cameras and our in-house tipster Steve Chambers picks out his best bets for Thursday’s 12th September.
2:25pm Doncaster – Weatherbys Scientific 300,000 2-Y-O Stakes
Aidan O’Brien’s CAMILLE PISSARRO has disappointed on a few occasions this season, but the Wootton Bassett colt can finally get his name in lights on Thursday by landing the valuable juvenile contest at 2:25pm. Well fancied for the Coventry Stakes earlier in the season at Royal Ascot, the Ballydoyle two-year-old failed to fire, but he has shown some ability and has finished second in a brace of Group 3 events this season.
Last seen finishing sixth in the Gimcrack at York last month, he will need to improve on that Group 2 run, but this is a much easier assignment and he could just prove to be too classy for his rivals in this event and he can kick off another potential fine week for the O’Brien team.
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Matthew Sutcliffe’s Value Punts – Doncaster St Leger Festival Day One
There are some huge prices available about some of Matty Sutcliffe’s fancies for day one of the St Leger festival at Doncaster. You can back them early now, as he provides his value bets for Thursday. Published: 3.30pm Tuesday, 10th September (Odds correct at time of writing) 1:50 Doncaster – British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’…
Tue 10 Sep 20243:00pm Doncaster – Betfred May Hill Stakes
There’s a fascinating renewal of the May Hill Stakes at 3:00pm and some notable 1000 Guineas clues could be on offer from this Group 2 event. Charlie Appleby’s Desert Flower has already been touted as a potential Classic performer next season and she’s a hot favourite to build on her two impressive Newmarket wins and make it three on the bounce, but Aidan O’Brien’s ECSTATIC could offer better value.
The daughter of Lord Kanaloa came on leaps and bounds for her second run when winning a Tipperary maiden in fine style and with a Group 1 entry in the Fillies’ Mile later in the season then she’s held in huge regard. She will need to build on that effort in a much better race here, but she’s sure to kick on again and could potentially upset the unbeaten Godolphin filly here.
3:35pm Doncaster – Betfred Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes
An impressive three-and-a-half length winner of a Listed event at Newmarket two starts ago, MISTRAL STAR then ran an absolute blinder when fourth in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and if Hughie Morrison’s starlet can use that as a springboard then she could be the one to be with in the Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes at 3:35pm.
Beaten by the classy triumvirate of Content, You Got To Me and Emily Upjohn that day, she will have to give weight away to some eye-catching three-year-olds, while the consistent Night Sparkle is a huge challenger as well. However, she arguably has the best form in the race and can show her brilliance with a victory in what is a cracking Group 2 race.
4:10pm Doncaster – Pertemps Network Handicap
Peter Chapple-Hyam’s BLAKE has been on a rapid incline this season and the three-year-old son of Zoffany can make it three wins from his last four starts and land the Pertemps Network Handicap at 4:10pm. A dominant one-and-three-quarter length winner at Sandown back in July he’s been given a whopping 9lbs rise for that success, but a mark of 88 still looks workable.
He travelled serenely well through that victory and if any rain can hit Doncaster in the lead-up to this event then that would do his chances the world of good. This is a much tougher race and plenty line up in decent form, but Blake continues to blossom this campaign and looks a really solid each-way bet.
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