As I grew up a racing fanatic the highlight of my racing year (arguably my year in general) was always the Doncaster Handicap.
Sunline stands out with her two gallant victories and her stirring duel with Over when a close second, spacing the rest.
Racing To Win’s victory is well remembered with an associate of my family’s turning up to Randwick racetrack with a duffle bag full of cash. He was nearing the end of his days and almost completely blind and he threw the bag on the window of a TAB counter and instructed the teller to count what’s there and have it on Racing To Win.
There was $110,000 in the bag (according to the teller anyway) and the good thing duly saluted, paying gross unders on the tote, no thanks to the bag!
Sacred Choice showed what’s possible when the best laid plans are laid waste by the weather gods. She would have been 50-1 on a dry track but she won easily on her preferred heavy going.
More Joyous stamped herself as a real star when she won her version of the Donny, backing up to win the Queen Elizabeth the next week.
Gai was the queen of the Randwick mile, until Waller came along. Waller has won six of the last ten runnings of the race including the last four winners. He’s filled most of the placing in those races too.
So what will this year bring?
Hauraki brings some progressive form to the race with two solid runs showing that he hasn’t gone backwards. He crucially gets back to Randwick and up to the mile. He won the Epsom in dazzling fashion beating a lot of these same horses and running amazing sectionals. A drying track, a slim possibility, will help his cause.
Le Romain has come back a better horse this campaign surprising me to win first-up before beating Chautauqua in both subsequent runs – let’s ignore the fact that Winx beat him and everyone else by eight lengths. The Randwick mile looks ideal and he’s the best in at the weights in the race if you ask me.
Palentino won well last time but crucially for mine hasn’t placed away from Flemington since his first two starts at Ballarat and Stawell. I can’t go past this statistic.
Tosen Stardom looks a serious horse and if he gets through the wet he could be a blowout chance. Only start in the wet was a good fifth in the Queen Elizabeth a couple of years back. Barrier is tough but historically this race is won from double figure alleys.
Happy Clapper is worth serious consideration on his fantastic second to Winx in this race last year. He struggled in the Spring but has come back a treat this prep and importantly has that winning feeling back.
Ecuador hasn’t been far off Black Heart Bart of late and in a couple of Group 1s. He’s racing in career best form and has a second to Winx to his name in an Epsom.
Redkirk Warrior has to be respected on his Newmarket win and while I’m not a great fan of heading second-up into a grueling mile race he has the class to win.
McCreery will have been trained to the minute and gets a nice weight relief back to the mile. Looks the clear top pick of Waller’s four runners and like I said, the man knows how to win a Doncaster.
I Am A Star could be just that emulating the race’s namesake in the Sunline Stakes showing far too much speed for the older mares last start. She’s a Group 1 winner with 52kg and barrier 1. Should these be too tough for her, the Queen of the Turf beckons next week.
Hey Doc is racing well having won the Australian Guineas last start. I am wholly unconvinced of that formline but three-year-olds have a good record in the race.
Spectroscope won in really nice style in the Doncaster Prelude and he has a nice sense of timing about him. On form alone he doesn’t stand a chance as that race was not strong and he carried only 53kg but I liked what I saw and given he’s only new to the country probably has a lot of scope for improvement.
All in all it’s a classic handicap mile, 6-1 the field and luck in running will be paramount to any horses chances.
I only covered those horses I believe have a winning chance but I’m sure others can mount a case for those I’ve ignored – barring the customary Anthony Cummings emergencies that are there solely for the owner’s tickets.
Enjoy the race!
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