Matt Brocklebank enjoyed success courtesy of Emaraaty Ana over the weekend and is back with the best value selections for Doncaster on Thursday.
Value Bet tips: Thursday, September 9
1pt win Prism in 1.40 Doncaster at 12/1 (General)
0.5pts Symphony Perfect in 2.10 Doncaster at 12/1 (bet365)
0.5pts Symphony Perfect in 2.10 Doncaster at SP
Solid-looking Prism expected to figure
The quality goes up a notch or two at Doncaster for St Leger Ladies’ Day on Thursday, though decent betting opportunities remain relatively thin on the ground.
Inspiral is odds-on across the board for the Cazoo May Hill Stakes, while the Gosden and Dettori combination are also responsible for the warm market leader in the other Group Two on the card as Free Wind looks to build on her Deauville success up another couple of furlongs in the Hippo Pro3 Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes.
There’s no burning desire to take on either, in truth, nor the Charlie Appleby-trained Modern News, who may well have scared a few prospective rivals off as only six take him on in the Cazoo Handicap over seven furlongs.
The Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Conditions Stakes is only a three-runner field so the valuable sales race and the British Stallion Studs EBF ‘Carrie Red’ Fillies’ Nursery appeal most when it comes to taking a financial interest.
Tim Easterby’s Gnat Alley – a serious eyecatcher on handicap debut at Ripon recently – was immediately cut in the markets for the latter event but she does have to compete from 2lb out of the weights here and at the prices I’d much rather back PRISM.
She gets in here off an introductory mark of 73 which surely underestimates her potential given she was second to subsequent Listed winner Flotus on debut at Goodwood in May. She went off 2/1 for her second start at the same track the following month but totally blew her chances by getting upset at the start and fluffing her lines as the stalls opened.
After 74 days away, she returned with a really pleasing run at Salisbury (another far from conventional course), getting caught in a pocket behind the front two as leader Minnamoolka dictated and kicked for home approaching the furlong-marker.
Prism was a bit flat-footed when asked to quicken but stayed on well to be beaten two and a half lengths in third and stepping up slightly in trip here – on a flatter, galloping track – is apparently going to play to her strengths.
The daughter of Fast Company is a half-sister to five winners in total, many of whom struck on fast ground so I don’t see a huge issue if the forecast rain doesn’t arrive before racing and, after three starts across more than three months, she’s open to a bit more improvement than the likes of Dora Penny, Form Of Praise and Bollin May.
Hannon filly could be pitch Perfect
The Weatherbys Scientific £200,000 2-Y-O Stakes looks really open despite hat-trick seeking Harrow and Tom Dascombe’s Ever Given standing out on official figures. Ever Given has had a very busy summer, which may start catching up with him at some point, while Harrow already looked equipped for a mile so won’t be perfectly suited by dropping back half a furlong from York, where he won a nursery off 85.
Preference is for Richard Hannon’s SYMPHONY PERFECT, one of five declared for a yard that has always done extremely well in races of this nature.
Jockey bookings suggest this filly could well be third or fourth in the pecking order but I like the fact Hayley Turner – back in for the ride – is 1-1 on her, while gate one could be handy too with the stalls in the centre again on day two.
Symphony Perfect doesn’t have a wildly flashy profile but she’s improved as she’s gone and posted a cracking effort when second to another stablemate in Gubbass in the Weatherbys Super Sprint on July 17.
She’s run twice since then and has seemingly taken a bit of a backward step but it’s worth looking a little closer as she got no run whatsoever under Pat Dobbs when ending up nearer the back than the front in a Newmarket nursery, and wasn’t ideally positioned in the York race won by Ever Given last month.
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Granted, she may have lacked the requisite speed to go for the gap when required as she rather she lost her pitch as the tempo really increased (free replay above), but having to switch meant she ended up away from the principals and could then only run on for fourth despite doing some decent late work.
She merits a small upgrade on that bare form which doesn’t leave her with too much to find at all with the market leader here and I still expect her to make a little more improvement tackling this six and a half-furlong trip for the first time as her dam won over a mile at two and was closely related to middle-distance winners. She’s worth a dart at 12/1 but could conceivably go off even bigger so I’m happy to top up at SP too.
Published at 1600 BST on 08/09/21
TV schedule & race times
- When & Where: 1.40, 2.10, 2.40, 3.15, 3.45 Doncaster; 2.55 Epsom
- TV: ITV3, Sky Sports Racing (Sky channel 415), Racing TV (Sky channel 426)
