Welcome back the Doncaster Mile! After over a decade in the wilderness, the famous handicap is once again the centrepiece on a terrific day of racing.
The Randwick feature has finally regained its place in the top echelon of Group 1s in Australia, after being hidden on Easter Monday and placed on the middle Saturday with a weak support card when the AJC reverted back to a three-Saturday carnival.
It is hard to believe the Doncaster Mile was worth a paltry $1.5 million five years ago, before Racing NSW reinvigorated the Randwick carnival through the Championships, boosting prizemoney to $3 million.
But it is not just the prizemoney which has increased, with quality, weight-for-age gallopers taking on the handicapper and ensuring this year’s edition will be the greatest of the century.
Saturday is simply a promoter’s dream. There is the two-time defending champion in Sacred Falls, the imports from Japan looking to further impose themselves on our features, the progressive three-year-olds, in-form Group 1 winning mares on the limit, an intriguing barrier draw, a potentially wet track and some highly favoured emergencies sweating on a start.
Throw in Joao Moreira, Zac Purton and Corey Brown returning from overseas and you have a race worthy of international attention.
This is the greatest Doncaster field assembled since Y2K was a serious threat. It is even better than 2000 when Over clawed back Sunline. There is more depth than 2005 when Haradasun and Glen Boss wobbled to victory and more intrigue than 2012 when More Joyous cemented her place as a champion mare.
The only thing left to do is find the winner – and that may take a while.
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