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!
Diggerbill
Roar Rookie
Good point, the more I consider Antonio the more I feel he has to be conceded a place chance. My concern for him is that unlike the horses you mention above he really feels like a stayer to me. Sacred Falls and Rangirangdoo never won past a mile where Giuseppe just placed in a Metrop. I like your logic though.
Punter
Guest
Huge fan of this thought line in the Doncaster. Especially when it is a wet track - horses that have form in the wet and are dropping back from 2000m at their last start ALWAYS run well. Sacred Falls, Sacred Choice, Rangirangdoo, Vision And Power are all recent examples of this pattern. There is only 1 horse that qualifies this year - Antonio Giuseppe! If you don't play him you are not a student of history. $16-1 with a good draw. Won't miss the top 3.
Diggerbill
Roar Rookie
I reckon that old adage still holds water. Looking through the last decade or so of winners there's not any real sprinter/milers. I would suggest you would have to go back to Private Steer in 2004 for the last sprinter to win the race.
Mike from tari
Guest
My memories are of the great miler Gunsynd. Once upon a time you would look at a horse that had a good 2000 mtr record to win or fill the placings but that doesn't seem to happen anymore.
Addington
Guest
I'm with you on Spectroscope DiggerBill ...it wasn't the time he ran it was the scope for improvement. Lovely horse and I reckon he will be two lengths better than his European form in Sydney ....plus he has the added advantage of J Moreira to steer. I definetely think the $14.00 is overs on him and with one run at them he could easily salute on saturday.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
If not for Winx, Le Romain would be 3/3 this prep, including a last start G1 WFA win by 1.5 lengths over Chautauqua. He would be 2/1
Razzar
Guest
Good work Diggerbill, 20 horses at HCP conditions. A moderate tempo, maybe a tad stronger. This years edition looks extremely hard, if not impossible. One of my main objects here is select runners that will run through the Mile, not just to it. Hauraki will settle m field, but will run it out well despite weight. $10 rating Happy Clapper should get run, and has hit form. $13 rating Ecuador will race right up front to make his own luck. $20 rating Arod is an interesting runner, warming to a win comes to mind, should be in good posie as they turn in $16 rating Mc Creery looks the target horse for this race, with a little more luck, should've won The Cantala last year. Will get back but is cherry for this. Just bad luck his enemy $6 chance. Antonio Guisseppi. Cannot dissmiss as a chance, will be handy to front pack $16 rating Sons of John with lightweight, up front with no traffic issues, may be there for a long way $16 rating Euro Angel. Hope that was the hit out she needed last week. She's proven beyond the mile. Cannot dissmiss this lightweight mare. $33 rating Yes I've left out Le Romain in my main chances. But actually he is a chance, it's a hcp. But he doesn't pass the run through the mile test. he probably rates an 8 or $9 chance, but getting that probably won't happen. Good luck punters.