1.50 Doncaster – East India Dock (Win)
East India Dock landed a big punt last time out at Goodwood when he bolted up over 2m. The son of Golden Horn has progressed well over staying trips, and is at his best on softer ground. Therefore, the conditions here should be ideal. He does have to carry a 6 lb penalty for his latest win, but I think he’ll cope with that. Moreover, Ryan Moore is booked for the ride, which is a big positive. He looks to have a strong chance in this opener.
2.25 Doncaster – God Of War EW
I’m going to take a small chance on God Of War here. I wouldn’t be surprised if an autumn campaign had been on the cards. The last time we saw him, he won easily over this course and distance, admittedly on quicker ground than he’ll be facing on Friday. However, it shouldn’t be overlooked that his sire Mohaather handled soft ground, and his dam won at this track in similar conditions. I think he could go under the radar, and it wouldn’t be a massive shock if he went close.
3.00 Doncaster – Cota De Coza EW
Cota De Coza won with a touch class last time out at Glorious Goodwood, and she was backed like a good thing. This is a significant step up in class, but the way she won suggested that she’s certainly worth a try. Though she’s taking on colts and geldings in this race, fillies’ have won this race on a few occasions in the past decade, so it can be done. Moreover, the easier ground won’t be a problem, as she won on soft at Beverley in the summer. I think she can step up and be competitive in his company, making her one of my strongest fancies of the day.
3.35 Doncaster – Trueshan (Win)
Cases can be made for several of these, but last year’s winner Trueshan could be the one for Alan King. The key to him is soft ground, and he’s going to get his conditions here. Though he’s maybe not as good as he was a couple of seasons ago, he has shown that he still retains plenty of ability, as he won the Coral Marathon at Sandown earlier in the season. I still think there could be one more big day for him, and this could be it.
3.55 Salisbury – Tabiti (Win)
Tabiti was an impressive winner on her racecourse debut when scoring at Newmarket last month. The daughter of Kingman showed a lot of speed over 7f that day, and I don’t think she’ll be inconvenienced by the drop back to 6f. Ralph Beckett’s filly has got a good draw in Stall 1, and if Rossa Ryan can grab the rail early on, then she might be hard to peg back. She’s got a lot of fancy entries, so she could be one that progresses into a top-class horse.
4.10 Doncaster – There’s The Door EW
There’s The Door doesn’t deserve to be the outsider in this field. She’s a filly who has run some good races for David Evans in the past, and she often runs well on soft ground. The four-year-old filly ran in this race last year where she wasn’t disgraced in fourth off a 4lb higher mark. Some of her opposition in this race have to prove their stamina, and the ability to handle conditions. Therefore I can There’s The Door makes plenty of appeal to me.