Best bets for the horse racing Thursday 12th September 2024

A busy few days in the horse racing world gets underway on Thursday with day one of the St Leger Festival up at Doncaster. It is Betfred Ladies Day and we have a couple of Group Two races on the card appropriately for the Fillies. The going is described as good with the weather forecast for light cloud and sunny intervals throughout the meeting as it stands. ITV racing will be showing a selection of live races across the four days with Sky Racing covering all the action from Town Moor. I have three fancies on the first day. 

Best bets for the horse racing at Doncaster the St Leger Festival

1,250,000 Guineas yearling purchase Camille Pissarro heads the market for the 6½f Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes at 2.25. The Aidan O'Brien-trained juvenile has been running in Group company since his debut victory and he actually went off favourite for the G.2 Gimcrack Stakes at York last time but out on a wing breaking from stall one he never really got going after a tardy start. Under the conditions of the race he has 9-4 to carry but the fact Ballydoyle have just him left in suggests they like his chances. Caburn was one place ahead of Camille Pissarro in the Gimcrack and on that effort has a chance here, especially getting 4lb off that rival at the weights as he does, though he was also slow out the stalls at York. Intrusively had put in three fair efforts without winning before taking the jump in class and finishing third in the 6f G.2  Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. The chestnut colt blew the start, giving away a good few lengths, but was coming with a strong run when short of room behind a wall of horses and ended up finishing third. Made every yard to win by an easy six-and-a-half lengths at Nottingham last time in a Maiden to put him right for this with just 8-11 to carry he could be the answer. By Territories, who was second in the 2,000 Guineas and won the G.1 Jean Prat in his career, he is out of Intrusion a winner in her career who has proved herself as a dam with this one being a half-brother to five winners. The yard of Ed Bethell is in fair form and Rossa Ryan is in the saddle which is seen as a positive the way he is riding this year. I am on at 9-2.

The unbeaten Godolphin filly Desert Flower is one of ten declared for the mile Group Two Betfred May Hill Stakes at 3.00. Trained by Charlie Appleby, the daughter of 2,000 Guineas & Lockinge winner Night Of Thunder registered two comfortable successes over seven-furlongs on Newmarket's July course earlier this summer and should be capable of taking this step-up in trip and class in her stride with her autumn target the G.1 Fillies' Mile back at HQ. Her dam Promising Run was a multiple Group winner in her career including taking the G.2Rockfel Stakes as a juvenile. Her trainer told the Godolphin website earlier this week “Desert Flower won both her starts on the July Course well and is going the right way. We feel that the step up to a mile here should hopefully bring about some more improvement, which will be needed at this level. We have been pleased with her preparation and are looking forward to seeing how she gets on in this company. Like much of the field, we will be a lot wiser after the race.” I am on at 5-6.

Last year's winner Sumo Sam is back to defend her crown in the 1m6½f Group Two Betfred Park Hill Fillies' Stakes at 3.35 for Paul and Oliver Cole. The four-year-old has beaten just one horse so far this season having finished last at Goodwood on her seasonal reappearance and then fourth of five in the 1m5½f G.3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury last month. Her best form is on soft or heavy. Night Sparkle ran a good race when fourth in the G.2 two-mile Lonsdale Cup Stakes at York last time and was second in the 1m6f G.2  Lillie Langtry Stakes before that. She deserves to win a race such as this but has to give 10lb to the younger horses here so will need to put in a career best on paper at least. Grateful is interesting to me and as a three-year-old gets a nice bit of weight here. Sixth in the G.2 1m6f Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes last time at Goodwood behind Night Sparkle she appeared to hate the track. She won the 1m6f G.3 Stanerra Stakes at Fairyhouse in July before that, subsequent Ebor winner Magical Zoe behind, and is the best of the three-year-olds lining-up. By Galileo she is out of the top-class American filly Tepin, who of course won the G.1 Queen Anne Stakes on her only trip to the UK back in the day, as well as a number of big races in the States. A lightly raced filly she is open to further improvement yet around this sort of trip, and on a more conventional flat, galloping course like Doncaster, she is the tentative pick at 13-2.

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