Day one of the St Leger Festival is covered in our ITV racing tips for Thursday, with five races from Town Moor on the box.
There is Group Two action with the Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes and the May Hill Stakes , a valuable sales race and a couple of competitive handicaps.
13:15 Tip
13:15 DONCASTER – SPEED OF SOUND
Richard Spencer is well on course for a career-best season and this daughter of Sioux Nation has already done her bit by scoring bravely at Yarmouth following placed efforts at Newmarket and Ascot . Last month’s 40/1 third of 20 behind brilliant winner Sun Goddess in a valuable York event was another admirable effort and she will meet nothing of that calibre now dropping down in class to nursery handicap level.
13:50 Tip
13:50 DONCASTER – NIGHT IN VEGAS
Eve Johnson Houghton’s juvenile has done little wrong this year and can bag his yard another valuable pot in the Weatherbys £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes . Night In Vegas has had five races, and his two defeats have come in high-class affairs when beaten a length and a half in the Coventry Stakes and two and a half in the Richmond . He regained the winning thread in a similar race to this at Newmarket , albeit not quite as competitive, but he was always in control.
14:25 Tip
14:25 DONCASTER – KNIGHTS CHARGE
There was talk of Royal Ascot for Roger Varian’s colt when he defied a penalty at Nottingham in May, but he has not been seen since. However, connections can be rewarded for their patience with a win in the Pertemps Network Handicap , where a mark of 91 could seriously underestimate him.
15:00 Tip
15:00 DONCASTER – FAIRY GLEN (NAP)
Simon and Ed Crisford’s charge sets a good recent standard for the others to aim at in the Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes . While she looked a useful filly at the end of last year, finishing second in a Listed race at Bath in October before winning one on the all-weather at Lingfield in November, she has taken her form to a completely new level since then.
Her trainers took her out to Dubai in February, where she ran out a cosy winner of a Group Two over just nine furlongs and then stepped right back up in trip to have her first run over two miles in the Dubai Gold Cup , when causing a shock in winning at 20/1. There were some very good horses behind her that day, as runner-up Caballo De Mar has since won a Group One in France , while the third home Al Nayyir has claimed the Lonsdale Cup.
Fairy Glen was due to run at York in May but was pulled out with a bruised foot and a few weeks later she made it to France for the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier, where Caballo De Mar turned the tables on soft ground, but she was only beaten half a length into fifth. After being given a midsummer break, she arrives here fresh and could still be improving.
15:35 Tip
15:35 DONCASTER – MUSICAL TIMES
A half-sister to the smart Real World , the Charlie Appleby -trained Lope De Vega filly made a winning debut at Newmarket in June and followed that up as a short-priced favourite at Yarmouth. Both of those victories came over seven furlongs and while she will take on a mile for the first time in the May Hill Stakes , she is bred to be better over further and rates an exciting prospect at this stage in her development.
Betting Tips
Thursday ITV Racing Betting Tips
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