Doncaster Stakes Tips & Betting Preview

Four winning favourites in the nine renewals of this Listed sprint make it popular with the punters a remark that also applies to Richard Hannon and Brian Meehan who have both won this twice though only one of the pair have an entry for 2016 so we may as well start our race preview there.  The Hannon yard have more than one entered for this contest but seem to rely on Khafoo Shememi (13/2) who is a son of Dark Angel who is building his reputation as a sire pretty rapidly these days. Sent to Newmarket for his debut over this trip he scored by a neck from Mayzoun at odds of 8/1 before being upped in class and trip at Sandown before finishing third in a little Conditions Stakes. He looked a bit one paced that day and may not have the pace for this six furlongs for now but it does seem fair to assume that he must be showing something spectacular on the home gallops to even suggest he deserves a run in this much better contest.

Yorkshire trainer Mark Johnston can never be ignored in these events (see The Last Lion mentioned above), and he has the interesting Comedy School (9/2) entered here as the Distorted Humor filly looks to land her hat trick after victories at Haydock and York in less exalted company. She took her maiden with the minimum of fuss and followed up with a three and a quarter length success in a Nursery and although this will be tougher, she is going the right way and gets five pounds from the colts which can only help her cause making her a bet worth having this afternoon.

Next on our short list we turn to Charlie Appleby and Timeless Flight (11/2) who has won his last two races now after a debut second to Bahamas here at Doncaster in June when sent off the 5/2 favourite. Dropped back for seven furlongs to this trip at York he took his maiden when keeping on strongly by three-quarters of a length and followed up in a Class Three Nursery at Kempton on the all-weather when well ridden by William Buick to burst clear and hold off all challengers near the line. In any normal year that would most certainly not be enough but the fact is the more we look at this race the weaker it seems and any further improvement could well be enough to see him get involved.

Looking for a spot of value and Andrew Balding’s Rosie Briar (18/1) has to be included after an educational debut at Windsor was followed by a length and a half maiden win at Haydock when stepped up to this six furlongs. She still looked pretty green that day suggesting there was even more improvement to follow and although this is clearly a big step up in class she has to try it some time to test her mettle again the better sorts, and at a price she could yet sneak in to the frame for all you each way punters out there.

Hilario (14/1) rounds off our article here for trainer Charlie Hills and is another who is difficult to judge after just the two races.  Well beaten at Sandown on his June debut he showed the benefit of that run when winning a Kempton maiden on the all-weather by a short head from Dubai One and although that form is nothing to write home about, he is a half-brother to The Tin Man and fully entitled to get better with age and more racing under his belt.