Our form expert has four selections for Saturday's ITV Racing action at Doncaster and Leopardstown.
The Verdict: Saturday September 12
1pt win Gentle Hurricane in the 13:45 Doncaster at 6/1 (General)
1pt win Gleneagle Bay in the 14:10 Leopardstown at 12/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)
1pt e.w. Al Shabab Storm in the 14:20 Doncaster at 18/1 (bet365, 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt win Wise Approach in the 14:55 Doncaster at 16/1 (General)
Word for the Wise in Park Stakes
There are loads of betting opportunities on an excellent Saturday on both sides of the Irish Sea with the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes and the Betfred St Leger taking centre stage.
The big races don’t really appeal as betting heats, with the market getting it right for my money in both cases and I would rather focus on the supporting races starting with the Group 2 Betfred Park Stakes over seven furlongs at Doncaster 14:55.
This is a good race for a bet as More Thunder looks vulnerable at skinny prices given he’s become hard to win with and he has hardly shaped as though he wants the drop in trip back to seven watching how he has been performing over a mile.
His class could shine through but I’m happy to take him on at 11/10 and the one that appeals against him is Charlie Appleby’s WISE APPROACH at 16/1.
Three-year-olds have a pretty good record in this race and this son of Mehmas is the only horse of that vintage in this year’s line-up after a difficult campaign that threatened to become derailed after a poor showing at Royal Ascot in the Commonwealth Cup.
However, he was at his best this time last year as a two-year-old when winning the Middle Park after a good run at Deauville in August and he comes in here off a similar prep having run in the Prix Maurice de Gheest last time.
That wasn’t a bad effort at all on the back of two months off, as he was beaten just over three lengths in seventh after keeping on well from the rear off a moderate pace and that should’ve teed him up nicely for a crack at this race.
The Appleby team are flying again now and the application of first-time cheekpieces look a major positive as the Godolphin handler is 49 from 192 at 25.52% when applying the sheepskin first time, to a £1 level stakes profit of +£39.34 at SP.
Going out in trip to seven furlongs for the first time looks a potential source of improvement too, given his dam was a 10-furlong winner, and snapping up Billy Loughnane for the ride with Will Buick in Canada is the icing on the cake (the jockey has a terrific record of 38 from 87 at 44% for Appleby).
The Verdict: Back WISE APPROACH in the 14:55 Doncaster
Gentle touch in the Champagne
Earlier on Appleby might well land the Betfred Champagne Stakes as well with Desert Castle who made a big impression on debut with a promising win on Newmarket’s July Course.
You can see why he is even-money here, but Town Moor can be a tough place for a once-raced juvenile and I just wonder if inexperience will be a crucial factor in the final analysis.
Either way, I think Andrew Balding’s GENTLE HURRICANE is a more potent threat than odds of 6/1 imply and he’s worth backing for a yard who won this race with Chaldean back in 2022.
Chaldean won this on the back of winning the Acomb at York and Gentle Hurricane ran in the same race on his second start where he improved bundles on his debut when finishing second to Haffner on the Knavesmire.
Keen early, he had to wait for a run, but he ran through the gap well when in the clear and lost nothing in defeat behind a more experienced Ballydoyle colt who has improved with each start himself.
A sizeable colt with bags of potential, he’s going to enjoy this straight track on slightly easier conditions than he encountered at York and that Acomb form is working out particularly well.
The Verdict: Back GENTLE HURRICANE in the 13:45 Doncaster
Storm brewing in the Portland
The Betfred Portland Handicap over five-and-a-half furlongs is a specialist distance and that brings last year’s first, second and third, Eternal Sunshine, Apollo One and Rosario, right into calculations, with the latter pair racing off lower marks this time around.
They have all been well found in the market, though, and I would rather take a chance on Mick Appleby’s AL SHABAB STORM who has hinted that a hell-for-leather race at this trip might be perfect for him since he joined his new yard.
A Group 3 winner for Balding, his previous trainers ran him over six and seven furlongs but Appleby has quickly dropped him in distance and he ran his best race for ages when winning over five furlongs at Newcastle in June.
The red-hot pace really suited him that day, as did the added tongue-tie, and the form has worked out well with the second and third winning good races subsequently.
Off two months, he returned with a promising fifth in the Beverley Bullet, running like he needed it, and that should have put him spot on for this with Conor Whiteley now able to claim his 5lb.
He looks dead interesting here as the very strong gallop should play into his hands and he looks worth an each-way swing (bet365, Sky Bet and Paddy Power are going six places).
The Verdict: Back AL SHABAB STORM in the 14:20 Doncaster
Bay of plenty in Sovereign Path
Finally, Stephen Thorne’s GLENEAGLE BAY looks worth a bet at 12/1 in the Sovereign Path Handicap over seven furlongs at Leopardstown.
The son of Gleneagles was 7/4 favourite for this race last year and he ran well in a close-up fourth, but could’ve probably done with more of an emphasis on stamina and he’ll likely get that this year with rain forecast.
He runs off a 4lb lower mark, too, while he’s in good form and proved his liking for these big-field handicaps when winning at Cork under Colin Keane in June.
Keane is back on board for the first time since here and after a couple of luckless runs at the Galway Festival Gleneagle Bay can run another big one granted a bit better luck from the inside stall in one.
The Verdict: Back GLENEAGLE BAY in the 14:10 Leopardstown
Preview posted at 16:00 BST on 11/09/26
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org
