The three-day Doncaster St Leger Festival kicked off today, and tomorrow brings us the Doncaster Cup – a Group 2 contest over 2m2f. With the ground set to ride Good To Soft, it promises to be a real test of stamina. The race is now available on tomorrow's racecards.
Looking at course form first: Sweet William is 2 from 3 at Doncaster, including victory in this very race last year. Pendragon, Coltrane, and Oxford Comma have all tasted success at the track too.
Plenty in the field handle similar ground conditions to those forecast tomorrow. The standouts are Hipop De Loire, unbeaten in one start, and Kyle Of Lochalsh, who has won three times on this going. Sweet William has placed or better in an impressive 89% of his runs in these conditions. The issue, however, is his recent tendency to find one too good – always in the mix, but struggling to get his head in front.
Over the trip, Sweet William boasts three wins at 2m2f, though he has yet to score over further. Coltrane and Oxford Comma are proven at the distance as well. Hipop De Loire hasn’t won over 2m2f, but crucially has scored over 2m6f – a real plus if stamina comes into play. Kyle Of Lochalsh is another with winning form beyond this trip, while Sunway and Pendragon both step up in distance tomorrow.
On our THM Score, Sweet William and Hipop De Loire top the charts from their last runs, both posting into the 700s. Sweet William has recorded 796 in his last two runs and will be looking to edge into the 800s tomorrow, which we know he is capable of.