Mountain Kingdom was given far too much to do by his jockey on Wednesday. He travelled really well in rear but a mistake just as he was creeping into contention put paid to his chances. He looked as though he was just out for a run to blow away the cobwebs, and given how well he ran at Galway last year it would be no surprise if that turned out to be his ultimate target this summer.
Tomorrow there is plenty of quality action on offer with decent flat cards at Doncaster and especially Sandown. There are a couple of Group races scheduled for the London track and there could well be a few classic clues to be found for later on this season. However, the two horses I fancy go at Doncaster, and hopefully we have the makings of a nice each way double.
My main fancy for Friday goes at Doncaster in the 16.55, a 5f handicap, and he is a horse that those of you who have been following this blog for a while will be familiar with. Top Boy is a 6yo son of Exceed and Excel that was extremely frustrating to follow last season, but he has become well handicapped as a result and he is now 10lbs below his last winning mark of 87.
He has had a couple of outings on the all weather to blow the cobwebs away ahead of his return to turf and he hasn't been far away on both occasions at Wolves. He was a decent 4th beaten 2L off 79 on his reappearance and he finished in the same position next time at the same track, beaten 4L off 78.
He is a much better horse on turf though, and the good to soft ground at Doncaster will suit him perfectly. A top jockey has been booked in Tony Hamilton and he has a nice draw in stall 4. I am sure the plan for this fella is to return to York for the handicap he won back in 2014, and he will need a hike in the weights if he wants to get in. Hopefully he gives the handicapper reason to act at Doncaster tomorrow and if he puts his best foot forward he should be well capable of winning this race off 77.
The other horse I am interested in goes in the 6f fillies maiden at 2.45 and on the evidence of her first effort it is no surprise that My Lucille is priced up at 40/1. However, the ground was atrocious for that 8f heat at Redcar and trip was always likely to be an issue too given this filly's pedigree.
She is a 3yo daughter of Lawman and she has four siblings that have managed to reach the racetrack, all of whom have managed to win races at trips ranging from 6f to 11f. Her dam won a 2yo 6f maiden and her half brother Revelation was a 3yo 6f maiden winner before going on to land a Group 3. Her half brother was listed placed, also over 6f, and all the aforementioned horses relished nice ground.
Tim Easterby's animals often come on massively for their debut runs, and that could well be the case with My Lucille tomorrow. The drop in trip and better ground are reasons for optimism and main stable jockey David Allan takes over from Andrew Mullen in the saddle. Stakes should be kept to a minimum given how poor she was last time, but I think she is worth a small each way interest in a maiden that lacks strength in depth.
STEVOS' SELECTIONS: 4.55 DONCASTER-TOP BOY 9/1 NAP
2.45 DONCASTER-MY LUCILLE 40/1 E/W
Tipster that loves big prices. Racing/NFL/Soccer/Rugby Twitter: @davestevos Biggest Winners: Goliath 33/1 Rage Of Bamby 20/1 Party Rock 33/1 Don't Touch It 40/1 Burning Brightly 33/1 Back Before Dawn 25/1 Court Frontier 20/1 Bilbo Bagins 20/1 Pacha Du Polder 20/1 Champagne Classic 25/1 Whatareudoingtome 20/1 Talismanic 20/1 Tower Bridge 40/1 Kilfenora 25/1 Lalor 16/1 Paper Lantern 14/1 Examiner 20/1 Romanised 40/1 Masar 20/1 Accidental Agent 33/1 Harry The Viking 28/1 Dragon Houdini 50/1
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