The flat is back at Doncaster on Saturday, with the Lincoln the headline handicap on the card. Matty Sutcliffe has picked out five horses for a healthy return to start to the season.
1.15 Doncaster – William Hill Top Price Guarantee EBF Brocklesby Stakes (A Novice Stakes) (GBB/ IRE Incentive Race) (Class 2) (2yo) – Mighty Vega 14/1 1pt WIN + Harswell Calling 66/1 0.5pt EW 4 places
A 17 runner field of un-raced two year olds doesn’t appear the most logical starting point to landing the inaugural winner of the at season, but there’s reason to take the top two on in the market, who are taking a large percentage of the betting up.
Norman’s Cry connections won this with Persian Force three years ago, but they’ve come up short with their last two runners, with the 2023 second Valadero still a twenty one raced maiden rated 57, and their 11/4F from last season, Mystical Elegance, finished a twelve length thirteenth and is now rated 49 for Simon Hodgson. Norman’s Cry was a 60,000gns purchase for connections and is speedily bred, being by Sioux Nation out of an Acclamation dam, but the Dam herself was a modest winning over 1m1f and later went over hurdles, which doesn’t bode well for this typically precociously represented test.
Kamakameleon’s connections won this last season with Zminiature and supposedly their Kameko colt is of a similar stature, but Cameo’s progeny generally progressed between 7F-1M last season, and according to the Racing Post, he’s only had one winner over five furlongs to date which was a 61 rated filly out of a Showcasing mare, who failed to back that up in two subsequent efforts. Kamakameleon’s a half brother to a seven raced maiden for Gavin Cromwell, and while their dam was placed in G3 company, it was over seven furlongs and her family were generally seen to better effect over longer distances, so with that in mind, I’d imagine they’re are some more naturally speedy types in this contest.
The one I’m most interested in is MIGHTY VEGA for Lemos De Souza. The former Brazilian Champion Jockey is not long training having only had seventeen runners in his name, but this will be his first two year old runner and his old boss Amy Murphy described him as a “great asset to have with the 2yos”. The son of Lucky Vega went unsold at 9000gns as a foal, but his price rose to 19,000gns when purchased at the Tatts Somerville Yearling sales in September for the trainers Bloodstock company, who co-owns the colt with two others. He has an interesting prole, as he’s by first season sire Lucky Vega who’s been well supported by breeders thus far, with eight recorded six figure sales for the smart two year old, who won the G1 Phoenix Stakes before beaten half a length in the G1 Middle Park and filling the frame in both Guineas’ and the St James’ Palace Stakes over a mile in 2021.
His first runner in Ireland ran a promising race to finished fourth in a 10k maiden at the Curragh, but rather remarkably, he’s already bred a Listed/Group Two winner in New Zealand, boding well for his early career as a stallion. Mighty Vega is a half brother to Broxi who peaked at a mark of 98 as a two years old having finished third in the G3 Molecomb Stakes, albeit over seven furlongs. The mare is by Rahy, who has an excellent record as a damsire producing 50+ horses with an OR of 100+, and generally produces early 2yos himself which bodes well for Mighty Vega.
While it is somewhat of a stab, he has one of the most solid proles in here and is worth a play at the prices.
The other of interest was HARSWELL CALLING, who is the mount of Jason Hart who boasts a £26.59+ profit margin to a £1 stake with Roger Fell. The son of Coulsty is a half brother to same connections’ Call Me Harswell, who won twice over five furlongs for the yard last season and given connections won the Spring Mile on this card in 2023, their Brocklesby pair have to be taken into consideration.
While Coulsty hasn’t had a terrific amount of success as a sire, he’s had multiple 2yos winners with several precocious types, and given this one’s already gelded, that may prove to be a slight advantage over these raw unraced sorts with a handy middle draw to aid in gaining cover early on.
1:50 Doncaster – William Hill Bet £10 Get £10 Spring Mile Handicap (Class 2) (4yo+) – Spirit Of Acklam 12/1 1pt WIN
Three of the last four winners of the Spring Mile were last seen at Newcastle over a mile last time out, four of the last nine were returning from breaks 147 days or more off the track with three of them gelded in the interim and seven of the last nine winners were 4yos.
Unfortunately none of the twenty two runners tick all those boxes, but there is five who return from a gelded operation on their seasonal debut, Naepoint, Ocean of dreams, Promethean, Spirit of Acclaim and Deboras dream.
SPIRIT OF ACKLAM appeals the most for the Easterbys and Jo Mason, as the Cracksman gelding looks just the type to benefit from a gelding operation. In six of his seven career starts thus far, he’s been noted to have either ran keen, hung right (badly in London Gold Cup), hung left (last time out at Southwell) or just generally edged one way or another. Despite those exertions, he’s shown plenty of promise throughout to suggest a mark of 80 could well underestimate him.
He ran a huge race on debut in the valuable Convivial Maiden at York when staying on well from rear despite looking very much unfurnished and short of room on the unfavourable part of the track. He reversed the form with the fifth that day next time out over a mile at Ayr despite again not looking a comfortable ride, staying on strongly to get up by a head with the second now rated 92 and two subsequent victories including a five length route at York last July.
He was put away for the winter thereafter, and returned with a win from a 219 day layoff having made all despite again taking a keen hold up the undulating straight of Ripon, though comfortably dispatching of an admittedly weak field. Though winless since, I don’t quite think he stays the 1m2f trip, and he posted a career best RPR of 88 when back down to a mile at Southwell in a competitive looking 0-85, again hanging left under pressure having looked the likely winner, with the two ahead of him suited by their pitch in rear.
With a gelding operation and cheek-pieces bound to have a positive effect along with a proven record fresh, this galloping son of Cracksman is of serious interest with the course likely to suit to a tee.
2:25 Doncaster – William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Cammidge Trophy Stakes (Listed Race) (Class 1) (3yo+) – Iberian 8/1 1pt WIN
Outside of G1 company, IBERIAN’s record reads 1211 and is taken to back up a return to form last time out with a wind operation seemingly working the oracle. He wasn’t entirely disgraced when taking a keen hold behind City Of Troy in the Dewhurst in a race favoured those to the fore, and soft ground was seemingly also to blame. His next two efforts are easy enough to drawn a line through as he weakened markedly quickly to be beaten 43L and 17L, and given a subsequent wind operation/break has proved successful, he’s a fair price should he be able to return to the form he showed as a two year old when second in the Vintage Stakes and winning the Champagne Stakes here over a furlong more.
The return to Doncaster can only be a plus, and with the majority in here preferring to race prominently, an extra surplus of stamina will bode well as will tucking in the midfield with enough cover to prevent a keen early showing.
3:35 Doncaster – William Hill Lincoln (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (4yo+) – Whip Cracker 16/1 1pt EW 5 places
The key piece of form in what looks to be an impossible puzzle is WHIP CRACKER’s second to Jayarebe in the Feilden Stakes last season. The Cracksman gelding finished three lengths behind the subsequent G3 winner, who peaked at a mark of 117 prior to sadly collapsing after the line in the Breeders’ Cup Turf last season. That Newmarket contest saw the third now rated 104, and the fourth rated 115 having finished second to City Of Troy in the Epsom Derby, thus a repeat effort from Whip Cracker would see him go seriously close here. He was a bet for the column when a staying on fourth in the Lincoln Trial having been well backed into 9/4F, but was caught too far back and unsuited by coming wide off the bend prior to staying on strongly to be beaten a length. That was a career best RPR, having posted two RPR’s of 102 prior after a gelding operation in July, and he looks well handicapped on the first of those efforts given he finished a length behind the now 111 rated Bolster.
A big field on a galloping track like Doncaster should suit, and now those cobwebs have been blown off, there’s no reason why he can perform well for a yard among the winners.
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