STANAGE is a very interesting runner today at Doncaster and one I definitely want to keep onside. Being a full brother to Calyx and Coppice, two very smart animals who both won on debut before going on to bigger things, you do expect him to show up well here. However a market drift overnight has dampened enthusiasm slightly and I will definitely be keeping an eye on the market throughout the day. If he remains the price he is though, an each way punt may still be the bet given his relations and his connections impressive record here.
Stablemate LORD NORTH is at the other end of his career and what a career it has been. He drops to a mile for the first time on these shores for quite some time but I don't think it will hinder him too much. He travels into his races very well and shows plenty of speed so I can't envisage his rivals getting a run on him here and if he is there or thereabouts at the furlong pole, I can't see many getting past him. It doesn't look all that deep a race and I expect his class to rise to the top.
Doncaster 2.33 Stanage
Sandown 3.00 Lord North
Saturday
It's the final day of the season at Sandown for the jumpers and a bumper card presents plenty to get stuck into. The opening race looks to have plenty of unexposed sorts in with a chance and I could name about 5 which I think are very well handicapped. The most interesting of the lot for me is HELNWEIN who threatens to improve dramatically for this switch to a stiffer track. Alan King has stated this has been his target all season and his qualifying runs would have been very carefully planned for sure. He will prove to be a lot better than his current mark in time but after a quiet enough season I expect him to be fighting fit for this.
I'll probably take a watching brief over the rest of the action until the finale where LOOKAWAY would have an obvious chance now stepping back up in trip. The 9/1 currently about him is plenty fair enough, it's just whether or not the long season has left his mark. He's danced plenty of dances this season but if he has enough left in the tank then I think he is the one they have to beat.
At a slightly bigger price MAHONS GLORY is a really interesting one. He hosed up at Kempton at Christmas but wasn't seen again until the Aintree Hurdle where he led the field until bombing out. Was that a prep run for this? Maybe so and at 16/1 I'm willing to take a chance.
Sandown 1.50 – Helnwein
Sandown 5.20 – Lookaway / Mahons Glory
