Phill Anderson's best bets for Friday include selections from Doncaster and Sandown.
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Day two of Doncaster’s St Leger Festival dominates on Friday and it is one of six meetings taking place across the UK and Ireland.
The Doncaster Cup is the highlight of a quality afternoon on Town Moor, and they are joined by Flat cards from Chester, Salisbury and Sandown while National Hunt action takes place at Ballinrobe and Downpatrick.
Kylian can score in Flying Childers
Group 2 fare on Town Moor begins with the Flying Childers Stakes over 5f and it’s a race in which Big Evs is well-fancied to score a third win of the season for Mick Appleby.
The son of Blue Point showed all the family traits to win the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot and the Molecomb at Glorious Goodwood and it would be churlish to judge him too sorely having since finished down the field in York’s Nunthorpe as he stepped out of his own peer-group on the Knavesmire.
That did, though, ensure he had two very tough races last month and he might be worth taking on here with KYLIAN 3/1 (14:25) for trainer Clive Cox.
This youngster looked really good in his Dragon Stakes win at Sandown (5f, good) and while he was behind Big Evs next time Goodwood, the winner had a tactical advantage from the outset.
Kylian didn’t quite get home in York’s Gimcrack last time and perhaps returning to five-furlongs here can see him back on an upward curve. He needs to find more to overhaul Big Evs but, with Ryan Moore back in the saddle, there’s a suspicion he might find extra.
Coltrane ready to run Donnie cracker again
COLTRANE 11/10 (15:00) caused a major upset when he turned over Trueshan in this race 12 months ago but the Andrew Balding inmate looks the right favourite now.
He is 2-4 this season, winning the Sagaro at Ascot in May (with Trueshan disappointing) and the Lonsdale Cup at York on his most recent outing, with an honourable Ascot Gold Cup second and Goodwood Cup third in between – the latter race playing out rather farcical as Quickthorn was allowed pinch an unassailable lead on the front end.
At York last time, Coltrane took care of Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami with some comfort and the extra two-furlongs on offer here are optimal for Oisin Murphy’s partner, who is taken to defy the 3lb penalty he gives to these rivals.
Trueshan has undergone a wind op since he was last spotted but there must be a major worry his best days are behind him, and it could be the Ebor runner-up Sweet William that is the principal threat. John & Thady Gosden’s lightly-raced 4YO should stay this trip no hassle but he has improvement to find on these terms if Coltrane runs his race.
Silver Samurai can lay down Sandown law
Some competitive afternoon fare from Sandown on Friday where the Class 2 Christophe Duchamp Grand Mont Handicap is their feature race and it can go to SILVER SAMURAI 7/1 (16:25) for trainer Marco Botti.
The son of Cable Bay comes into this off the back of winning the Grey Horse Handicap at Newmarket last month, ending a sequence of 11 starts without a win in doing so.
The assessor has put him up 5lb for that but this mark of 92 is one he has won from before. He was always handily placed amongst 14 rivals in that Newmarket contest but his best efforts in the past have come when produced late and, as such, the booking of Jamie Spencer could be a match made in heaven for this eight-runner heat. His win last time was over 6f but he stays this trip and has won in this grade before.
Selections
Kylian @ 3/1 (Doncaster 14:25)
Coltrane @ 11/10 (Doncaster 15:00)
Silver Samurai @ 7/1 (Sandown 16:25)
