Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Saturday.
Dom of Mary potentially well handicapped on stable debut
Dom of Mary turned in a lacklustre effort and was pulled up in the Scottish National on his final start last season, but he could well prove a different proposition on his seasonal reappearance at Kelso having joined James Owen.
Dual-purpose trainer Owen is only a few seasons into his career but has quickly forged a reputation for excelling with recruits and has had five horses win on their stable debut this season from 15 such representatives over jumps.
Dom of Mary's switch to Owen's stable has generated Timeform's Trainer Uplift Flag, and he is 3 lb clear at the head of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for Kelso's class 3 handicap (13:17) over just shy of three miles.
That ratings edge is based on the form he showed when a wide-margin winner of the 2024 Sussex National for David Bridgwater, while he was denied by only a neck in the latest renewal off the same mark he competes from at Kelso. He didn't make a serious impact on his final two starts of the campaign but it's easy to overlook those efforts as he was set stiff tasks in the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival (where he finished eighth) and the Scottish National.
Montassib headlines strong Haggas team at Doncaster
William Haggas boasts an eye-catching level-stake profit at Doncaster since the start of 2020 as backing his 160 runners in that time would have resulted in 30 winners and a profit of £49.81 to £1 stakes.
Haggas looks to have a good chance of enhancing that course record on the final day of the 2025 Flat turf season as Montassib, Sing The Blues, Realign and Castle Cove all top Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for their respective races.
The one with the strongest claims on the figures is Montassib, who is 5 lb clear at the head of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for the listed Wentworth Stakes (13:25), in part because he avoids a penalty for his Group 1 success in the Sprint Cup last season.
That victory was achieved on going considered good by Timeform, but Montassib is especially effective on testing ground, as he showed when successful in the 2024 Cammidge Trophy over the same course and distance he tackles on Saturday. He possibly found drying ground counting against him when only seventh in the Champions Sprint Stakes last time but should have optimum conditions on Saturday and stands out as the one to beat.
Silver Sword interesting back on the all-weather
Silver Sword refused to race on his first couple of starts at Chelmsford and Lingfield but he has since developed a rock-solid record on the all-weather, winning once and finishing runner-up three times from his four subsequent starts on an artificial surface.
The last time Silver Sword was seen on the all-weather was at Southwell last November when it turned out he faced a near-impossible task off a 2 lb lower mark than the unexposed Sardinian Warrior.
Sardinian Warrior, an impressive winner on his two previous starts of the season, had no trouble completing the hat-trick and drew four lengths clear of Silver Sword who proved best of the rest. The scale of the task Silver Sword had faced at Southwell became clearer when Sardinian Warrior won a listed race at Ascot on his next start and then finished runner-up to Sosie in the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan. The Southwell form was also given a boost by a couple of those in behind as Storm Star, who had dead-heated for third, went on to win his next three starts, including the Mile on AW Finals Day, while fifth-placed Savvy Victory won a useful handicap a couple of starts later.
Silver Sword has had an up-and-down time of it on turf in 2025 but returns to the all-weather off a mark 7 lb lower than when running so well at Southwell. He needs to bounce back from a disappointing effort at Haydock last time, but he had shaped well when fifth at York on his penultimate start and is potentially well treated back on the all-weather. He is 3 lb clear at the head of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for the extended mile handicap (18:30) at Wolverhampton.
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