Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Saturday.
In-form Senorita Vega sets the clear standard
There are some unexposed fillies in the seven-furlong listed race (14:00) at Newbury, two of whom have the Timeform 'small p' to show that improvement is expected. However, those likely improvers, Caim and Leading Dancer, have plenty to find with the standard-setting Senorita Vega who has a clear advantage on Timeform's figures.
Senorita Vega heads Timeform's ratings by 11 lb based on the form she showed when a comfortable winner of a handicap over this course and distance on her penultimate start. So authoritative was that two-and-a-half-length success that it earned Senorita Vega a shot at the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes a couple of weeks ago.
She certainly didn't look out of place at Newmarket, where she assumed a prominent position and remained with a chance until inside the final furlong, ultimately finding the top two in the betting too strong. This drop to listed level represents an ease in grade for Senorita Vega who is clearly taking her racing well and should cope with conditions. She won here on good to soft going on her penultimate start, while her other success, at Brighton in May, was achieved on ground considered soft by Timeform, in stark contrast to the official description of good.
Tactical Plan has conditions in his favour
Tactical Plan was thriving towards the end of last season, winning at Chester and Goodwood either side of finishing runner-up at Haydock. It's notable that those efforts were all on ground deemed soft or heavy by Timeform, and he is likely to encounter such testing conditions for the first time this season in the seven-furlong handicap (17:00) at Doncaster on Saturday.
Tactical Plan is still searching for a first win of 2025 and was disappointing at Catterick last week when beating only a couple of rivals home. However, he raced too freely with blinkers applied for the first time and they will be replaced with cheekpieces on Saturday.
Tactical Plan had been shaping up well prior to his recent flop, finishing third at both Yarmouth and Ayr while offering encouragement that a better effort could be forthcoming.
At Yarmouth Timeform's reporter noted Tactical Plan 'will likely make significant appeal from this sort of mark granted more testing ground', while at Ayr they said he 'remains one to bear in mind when encountering more testing ground'. He should have the ground to suit at Doncaster and looks fairly treated off 2 lb lower than the mark he defied at Goodwood last season.
Lucky Manifest looks interesting for new stable
Tom Lacey has his team in good order this autumn and has had four winners and five runners-up from only 13 runners in October. He has a good chance of adding to that impressive winning strike rate with his sole runner on Saturday, Lucky Manifest who contests Kelso's concluding handicap hurdle (17:05), over nearly two miles and seven furlongs, on his first start for the yard.
The switch to Lacey, from James Ewart, has generated Timeform's Trainer Uplift Flag for Lucky Manifest, who was successful on his final outing for his former yard and should have more to offer.
As a half-brother to the smart staying chaser Heron Heights, out of an unraced half-sister to Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Take The Stand, Lucky Manifest has a pedigree that suggests he's likely to stay well.
He improved on his previous modest efforts when upped in trip to nearly two miles and five furlongs at Kelso in May, running out an emphatic four-and-a-half-length winner despite the steady pace still placing more of an emphasis on speed than ideal. He should be suited by this further step up in trip in a race likely to be run at a stronger gallop.
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