It’s day two of the 2023 St Leger Pageant and having stored my powder dry yesterday, three horses are firmly on my agenda to complete off the working week in good type.
Hopefully, this yr’s three-day occasion at Doncaster can show to be as equally worthwhile because the York Ebor pageant as a result of if so, we should not have any issues.
So, listed here are the three horses to contemplate immediately.
1:50 Doncaster – Struggle Rooms @ 2/1 with William Hill – 2pt Win
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I’m beginning the St Leger Pageant with a assured play as there’s no getting away from Struggle Rooms at 2/1 within the Listed Flying Childers Stakes.
Educated by Owen Burrows, an operation that doesn’t waste many bullets at these huge festivals, this Churchill colt is certainly one of two once-raced two-year-olds within the contest having proven an incredible flip of foot over course and distance on gentle floor in late July.
Spectacular on debut! Churchill colt Struggle Rooms appears fairly good and wins first up for @JimCrowley1978 and @ojburrows74 at @DoncasterRaces… pic.twitter.com/sIhXYdzpoI
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 27, 2023
What was putting from this victory was how he was in a position to pull practically 5 lengths away from the second inside the remaining furlong-and-a-half within the situations.
Moreover, though his sire Churchill was a floor versatile horse, the American-bred facet of his pedigree initially means that faster floor could be extra to his liking, particularly with a damsire of Aptitude.
Nonetheless, his three successful siblings – Herring Island, Rhinestone, and Aduna – all have nice gentle floor type; Rhinestone was even a valiant runner-up on gentle within the 2018 Grade 2 Future Stars Bumper at Leopardstown.
Struggle Rooms’ breeding means that he may keep additional in time, so immediately’s seven furlongs on rain-softened floor ought to be proper up his road, making him a very good play within the second race at Doncaster.
3:20 Chester – Wonderwall @ 6/4 Common – 3pt Win
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Over at Chester, a horse that can be in style with Oasis followers is Wonderwall on the head of the marketplace for the two-mile handicap.
The multi-purpose gelding by Yeats has been a daily within the nationwide hunt scene for the previous few years, notably when profitable over the now 142-rated Metropolis Chief by three lengths in a maiden hurdle at Doncaster earlier than his fall on the final hurdle within the 2022 Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle when wanting like a winner.
Sensible novice! Wonderwall breaks his duck over hurdles beneath a assured @james_bowen_ for @Richspencer89 and @RebelRacingLtd at @DoncasterRaces… pic.twitter.com/wJJEOfrt41
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 11, 2022
Connections gave him a 288-day lay-off from the monitor till the Grade 2 Coral Racing Membership Novices’ Chase at Newbury in late 2022 the place he travelled extraordinarily properly into the race earlier than fading on a fast floor.
So, within the jumps code, he’s a really stylish horse. Even when racing in bumpers as a 4 and five-year-old, he gained on debut at Ascot on gentle, completed third to Knappers Hill on gentle in a Listed bumper on the identical course after which ran a very good race to complete seventh behind the likes of Sir Gerhard, Kilcruit, Three Stripe Life and Grangee within the Grade 1 Champion Bumper.
“He’s a Gold Cup horse in our eyes” – huge phrases from @Richspencer89 on Ballymore-bound Wonderwall, after his spectacular @DoncasterRaces win! @LeglockLuke pic.twitter.com/JEfFFOKjj9
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 11, 2022
Since switching to the Flat, all three of his runs because the begin of July have been over an insufficient journey of 12 furlongs, so this hike in distance to 2 miles ought to see him to greatest impact.
Wonderwall holds a Cesarewitch entry for later this yr and is at the moment 33/1 for that, so if immediately goes properly, connections might be packing their baggage for a visit to Newmarket in October.
3:35 Doncaster – Quantum Leap @ 6.1 with BetVictor – 1pt EW
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Lastly, the concluding race on ITV from Doncaster immediately is the £60,000 Mallard Handicap, a contest that ought to arrange properly for the slow-starting Quantum Leap beneath Callum Rodriguez.
The four-year-old by New Strategy should be a irritating horse for coach Edward Bethell – who’s operating at a 43% strike price and lately gained the Group 1 Dash Cup at Haydock – as in all 4 of his appearances on monitor, he has failed to interrupt from the stalls with any intent.
Regardless of this, the 19,000gns buy has been profitable in 50% of his races to this point, most lately at Haydock on good-to-soft floor when making up a plethora of lengths to win comfortably.
This can be a pretty experience from @CallumRodrigue4 👏
Quantum Leap is delivered late to win the Birchwood Handicap (@TheJockeyClub Grassroots Stayers Sequence Qualifier), with Ravenscraig Fort second once more! @ebethellracing pic.twitter.com/C2YRQmh1kN
— Haydock Park Races (@haydockraces) July 21, 2023
The handicapper slapped an additional 5 kilos onto his official score after the run, so there appears to be loads of wiggle room left off 87, particularly when you think about that he beat Aztec Empire on debut who’s now rated 93 and has good type with Candy William.
In what appears to be a winnable race, not lots of his opponents look well-handicapped on their present mark, but Quantum Leap does and ought to be feared for the in-form Bethell operation.
