Doncaster Sunday review: Reports, reaction and free video replays

Magic Matilda flies for Murphy

Matilda Picotte made every yard of the running to win the Japan Racing Association Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes at Doncaster.

Third in the 1000 Guineas in the spring, Matilda Picotte had failed to strike in three subsequent starts but returned to form in some style in this Group Three contest.

Oisin Murphy had Kieran Cotter’s charge smartly away, seizing the initiative from the off and settling into a nice rhythm on the front as Cachet, last year’s 1000 Guineas winner who was making her seasonal bow, raced on her heels.

Cachet was starting the feel the pace with a couple of furlongs to run, however, dropping back as Murphy kicked on again on Matilda Picotte, opening up a handy gap.

Nigiri tried to challenge inside the last of the seven furlongs, but Matilda Picotte (6/1) was too good, coming home three and three-quarter lengths clear, with a further two lengths back to Vetiver, who just pipped Cachet for third by a nose.

Cotter said: “She deserved that, she got chinned by a good horse of Jim Bolger’s (Clever And Cool) last time out in a Listed race, but that was over seven furlongs and 110 yards. I thought today back at seven and on less testing ground she’d take the beating. She’s a serious horse.

“Plans were on hold until after today, but we might look at the Prix de la Foret. There’s another Group Three at Newmarket that could be an option, too.

“I don’t think next year she’ll have a problem dropping back down to six, but this year I just felt three-year-olds find it hard against the older sprinters.

“She’s never ducked a challenge from day one. Her run in the Guineas was good enough to do what she did today and we felt we had her back to 100 per cent. It was fantastic, she put some serious fillies to bed there.

“She’s probably going to the sales at the end of the year so she might not be mine, but she could be a serious sprinter next year with another year on her back.”

George Boughey, meanwhile, was taking positives from Cachet’s first run since Royal Ascot last year.

“She was a little ring-rusty on ground that was always going to be a question mark. I was pleased that Ryan (Moore) wasn’t over hard on her when the race was gone. She’s sure to improve for it,” he said.

“She showed her zest at home and on the track. There was a moment three down when I thought she might fall out the back of the telly and she battled on. She’s come an awful long way in the last 10 weeks and she was racing against race-fit rivals.

“The Sun Chariot is the natural step for her if she comes out of it all right. She’s going to be sold at the mares’ sale at the end of the year and to get her back on track was great.”

'Legend' Scudamore enjoys Town Moor triumph

Tom Scudamore steered I Still Have Faith to victory in the Vickers.Bet Leger Legends Classified Stakes.

Scudamore, who retired earlier this year, was having his first ride in the mile race confined to retired jockeys which raises valuable funds for the Injured Jockeys Fund Jack Berry House and the National Horseracing College.

This year’s line-up featured a range of recently-retired names, including Paul Hanagan, who only bowed out at the Ebor meeting, as well as the likes of Gary Bardwell, Gay Kelleway, Davy Russell, Robbie Power and Jamie Osborne.

The Ben Brookhouse-trained I Still Have Faith was sent off the 100/30 favourite and was covered up early on by Scudamore before launching his challenge with a couple of furlongs to run.

I Still Have Faith shot clear and while Hanagan tried his best to catch him aboard Biplane, the market leader had lots in hand, coming home a two-and-a-quarter-length victor.

Grand National-winning rider Power took third on Lion’s Pride, while Osborne finished with a flourish for fourth with Cliffs Of Capri.

Scudamore – who retired with 1,499 winners to his name over jumps – was sporting the colours of owner Roger Brookhouse, a long-term ally of his during his professional career.

He said: “It’s lovely. I had more winners for Roger than just about any other owner I rode for – I think I rode 60 or 70 winners for him. It’s a lot of winners and he was fantastic to me all through my career, right from as a claimer.

“We had some wonderful days – Western Warhorse for David (Pipe), we had some really special days. It wasn’t just Western Warhorse, I’m So Lucky – he had a fantastic family that’s still going well.

“He gave me some of my best days in racing and it’s a nice way of bowing out. I can do it properly now and it feels very nice. He was cantering a furlong out, they told me he was a good thing and he was.”

He added: “Everybody wanted to do this, it shows the admiration and respect Jack Berry has from the whole of the sport. It was a great honour and privilege to be asked.”

Hanagan said: “I enjoyed that, she ran a super race – but I think I’m probably blowing harder than she is. It was definitely the right decision (to retire)!”

Power said: “He ran well, he was probably tanking with me for the first two furlongs, but he is a strong traveller anyway. I really enjoyed, it’s been great seeing some of the lads again.”

Former champion jump jockey Richard Johnson was another in action, finishing 10th on Always Fearless.

“It was great, the idea is fantastic and it’s great to help the IJF and highlight charities and well done to Doncaster for putting it on at such a big meeting as well,” he said.

“Hopefully the crowd enjoyed it. I enjoyed it, it’s definitely the quickest I’ve been since I rode in it two years ago.”

Osborne, partner of some National Hunt greats back when he was riding, said: “He would have won on fast ground! I enjoyed it-ish. The first two furlongs I enjoyed, then when he came off the bridle through the middle of the race I hated it and then I was annoyed he actually found a little bit more in the last furlong because that meant I had to keep pushing.

“My horse and I have got 65 years between us so if they had jockey handicap races I think we’d be the winner. At halfway I was well off the bridle so it tested my fitness a bit too much and I looked like a child in the last furlong.”

Lightning strike turns thoughts to Abbaye challenge

Rogue Lightning looks a sprinter going places and could take his chance in Prix de l’Abbaye following a cosy victory in the Betfred Scarbrough Stakes. Tom Clover’s three-year-old is improving at a rate of knots and since being gelded is unbeaten in three outings.

His last victory came in a valuable Ascot handicap and upped to Listed class on Town Moor he faced only three rivals.

However, one of those was Raasel, a very solid 110-rated sprinter who arrived off the back of a good win at Haydock last week. But he was always fighting a losing battle as Danny Tudhope coaxed Rogue Lightning (9/4) home for a three-quarters of a length success from the even-money favourite.

“He’s always been a horse that we’ve liked,” said Clover. “It’s just fantastic for The Rogues Gallery (winning syndicate) as we’ve got 55 of them here today, Doncaster have been brilliant with them and gave them a box.

“To have a runner at the St Leger meeting with so many here, it means an awful lot.

“We actually put him in the Prix de l’Abbaye with the five-furlong division looking so open. He’s very fast, he’s got so much speed and he’s just a lovely horse. Gelding has obviously helped, he was very keen but relaxes a bit better now.

“If he gets in the Abbaye we’ll probably go.”

Rest of the action...

Poet Master (9/2) looks another very nice prospect for Karl Burke and took his record to three wins from just four outings in the Betfred City Of Doncaster Handicap.

Well beaten on his handicap debut at Haydock, he seemed suited by dropping back down to seven furlongs from a mile. Always handy under Sam James, he saw off his rival for the lead, Dark Thirty, and held the challenge of Zouky by two and three-quarter lengths.

James said: “It felt like we went a good gallop, but I was always travelling comfortably the whole way, in my comfort zone.

“I think the better the race he runs in the better he’ll be but he still needs to learn about the game, he was a little bit on it and I struggled to pull him up afterwards but he’s obviously got plenty of ability.

“He’s just got his own ideas a bit and even though he’d won a couple, he’s still green. To me it didn’t feel like he was in love with the ground, but he was still able to travel. He’s probably a very decent horse and he’d have to be black type now, the faster they go the easier he’ll win.”

Swift Salian (7/2) ran out a very easy winner of the I Love Julie Parkes Nursery Handicap for David and Nicola Barron.

Fresh from winning a Grade One in Canada on Saturday evening, it looked like William Buick had come to Town Moore especially for Charlie Appleby’s State Of Desire but he was a major disappointment.

Swift Salian kicked clear under Connor Beasley well over a furlong out to win by three and a quarter lengths.

Ala Kaifi justified 100/30 favouritism under Kieran Shoemark in the Hippo Carpet Protector Handicap for Ismail Mohammed.

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