Racing tips: The classy Kinross will have too much firepower in the Cazoo Park Stakes (Group 2)

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It was nice to get away from the real world and recharge the batteries, but I'm back now and ready to get stuck into some racing again.

I couldn't have picked a better day to return as we have some excellent racing for Sunday, with the Doncaster meeting moving their date over from yesterday, as well as the Curragh hosting some classy races too.

As always, thanks to Cairnzy for filling in my absence this week. Hopefully, you've had a profitable week and if so, let me know as I've not had the time to keep updated with the comments in the thread, but it's always nice to hear when people have done well.

Doncaster 1:00

As I've been enjoying the sun in Italy it seems the UK has had some rain. Doncaster's ground is currently described as soft, which should dry up a little come the time of racing, but it makes racing more complicated as the ground won't be rattling quick so will need a horse who will enjoy the conditions.

A horse who should be fine on the ground is ABLE KANE who has slowly been coming to boil over the last few runs, and I think this is the right time to catch him, which is no surprise as he won this race last year. He won it off a mark of 86 last year, so has got a harder task on his hands this time around off a 6lb higher mark, but there are plenty of positives in his favour.

William Buick instantly catches the eye, being without a doubt the best jockey on the planet this year and maybe the last couple of years, so whenever he is doing the steering it's always a pleasure, and whenever he rides for the smaller yards, like Rod Millman's it has to be noted.

The last two runs from Able Kane have been very good. He ran a good third behind Documenting at Newbury the time before last and that horse was knocking on the door for a while, so was a horse edging his way into being a well-handicapped horse. The time after, he finished fourth at Goodwood where he probably went too quick in front and his gas tank emptied in the final half furlong. With a more patient ride or slower pace, he could've been difficult to peg back, but in hindsight, the form has worked out nicely with the winner (I'm A Gambler) going on to win yesterday in a competitive handicap at the Curragh, where the third at Goodwood finished fifth in the same race.

With extra places on offer, you could play it safe and go EW.

Doncaster 2:10

A horse who will enjoy this slower surface is COUNT D'ORSAY. I think I've tipped him up already this season and I've felt like he's been unlucky on a few occasions and when he gets an ideal race he can finally show his ability which he does have.

He doesn't win all that much, shown by his record of 5 wins from 49 attempts and the fact he's not won since 2020, but his handicap mark hasn't exactly gone down much in that time, if anything it's gone up from consistent runs. He won off 91 in 2020 and since then his rating has gone up to as high as 100, but it has only started to come back down to a realistic mark of 88.

He is a horse who likes a strong gallop and not rattling fast ground, both of which he should get today. He gets into this off a nice low weight, which makes him a good EW contender in this. It's a competitive sprint, where you'll luck in running, but if he gets the breaks he should be filling the places and potentially stealing a win.

Doncaster 3:20

I don't think this race is anything special and you'd have to say the class horse is KINROSS. he is a Group 2 performer and borderline Group 1 horse when he gets his perfect conditions, so the fact he has been running so well on extremely quick ground which isn't his cup of tea, shows what great form he is in and how his class gets him through the races.

He's much better on a slower surface, and although today's ground won't be extremely slow, he is better on it than he is on good to firm, which makes him the one to beat as he's already a very good horse on a fast surface. A couple of new opponents for him today in the shape of the 3yo's, who don't look anything out of the ordinary and Garrus makes an interesting move up to 7f.

I understand he's not a great price, but I'd still argue above EVS is still good value.

Curragh 1:15

Now I head over to Ireland for the very good racecard they have to offer.

For the first selection, I am putting up TRUE MASON who is at double-figure odds and probably deserves to be an outsider in this competitive big handicap as he has been a horse who has been competing at a lower level for some time now and has only started to look like the horse he once was.

This horse was a very smart juvenile when trained by Karl Burke a few years ago, finishing second in a Group 2 behind Kessaar who has now gone on to become a decent starting sire. His career tailed off and looked like a horse who could've been a one-season wonder and was a fast starter and didn't train on.

Since moving from Phillip Makin's yard to Declan Carroll he has made great strides and looks like a horse who can hold his own in better races. He's won three from five and was arguably given a poor ride last time by Harrison Shaw who got to the front too soon at Newcastle, which is what you never want to do as it's a very unforgiving track for that style of run on the straight. The times before he has won with plenty in hand, and although this race is obviously a lot tougher, I think he could sneak a place and run a big race.

This is a big opportunity for Harrison Shaw to show what he is capable of, and it's significant that Declan Carroll has decided to send this lad over. The ground shouldn't be an issue, being by Mayson he'll handle any cut in the ground and ran well on soft as a 2yo. He is drawn low, which has often been advantageous in recent years in this race, so he could spring a surprise and be another English raider, who have won 5 of the last 10 renewals.

Curragh 1:50

Similar to Kinross before, LA PETITE COCO is the class angle in this race and should be the one they all have to beat, which doesn't take a genius to work out as you can tell by the odds she currently is.

My first argument for backing her is if you put every other horse in the Yorkshire Oaks last time out which was won by multiple Group 1 winning mare Alpinista, would they have gotten any closer than La Petite Coco? I don't think so, and that was on ground definitely too quick for her and probably over a trip which is too far for her as well.

Paddy Twomey's filly won this race last year, beating Love, on not ideal ground and I can see her winning this quite comfortably. I think you could say Paddy's other runner in the race is the main danger, a horse who I've tipped up a few times and never seemed to have gotten her right, but his most used jockey Billy Lee has chosen to ride my selection, which gives me plenty of confidence.

Curragh 2:25

Unfortunately, for those who aren't a fan of backing favourites, you'll be putting your head in your hands over the fact I think HIGHFIELD PRINCESS is the one to be on this race as well, making it a few short-priced favourites for Sunday.

This mare is arguably the best sprinter we've got in Ireland and the UK based on her last run in the Nunthorpe at York just over three weeks ago. She was electrifying that day and showed that the minimum trip isn't a worry for her as she has the speed and cruising speed to handle what the quickest horses have to offer. The fact she is 7/4 raises small doubts in my mind and I think a lot of punters will be trying to get her beat as she has to prove she is as good on a slower surface, but also whether she is 100% after a somewhat quick turnaround. For me, I think she will handle the ground and I think she will be fit.

There is no way on this earth that John Quinn risks his stable star if she's not fit and healthy. As for the ground, she is by Night Of Thunder, who is a sire who has produced many soft ground lovers and was a soft ground horse himself.

As for the form, it's rock-solid. She beat Minzaal in France on her penultimate start and he has since gone to the Haydock Group 1 sprint and obliterated that field by 4L. If the same Highfield Princess turns up from the last two runs, she should be near impossible to beat.

Curragh 4:10

For my final selection at the Curragh, I've decided to go against the grain a bit and go against what seems to be the new-staying star Kyprios, with the English challenger HAMISH.

Some might think I'm crazy, but I think he is a decent EW alternative to the short-priced favourite. William Haggas has handled Hamish very carefully, metaphorically in cotton wool throughout his entire career, as he is a horse who doesn't like quick ground and is a horse best fresh. His form doesn't stack up to the favourite but over this kind of trip, I think he could be a serious threat to Kyprios.

I tipped him up for the Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot last year over 2m where he was hampered and didn't quite stay the 2m at Championship level, but it wasn't a bad run in the slightest. He travelled lovely that day and with his best form over 1m 6f, there's no surprise that his gas tank emptied.

He has raced once this season, which was at Chester in a Group 3 beating a good yardstick in Thunderous. Many will say well it's only Thunderous, but that horse gave Stradivarius a very good test earlier this year, so it's a decent bit of form. He hasn't been seen since, so comes here fresh, which is what is needed with him. Now a 6yo, with only 11 runs under his belt is a very strange career for a flat horse, who is a gelding, but he is a talented horse and will appreciate any cut in the ground.

If the ground remains relatively soft I think that is a concern for Kyprios. He has always seemed like a horse who appreciates very quick ground, despite the fact he's won on soft before. Though he hasn't raced too many times, he's had a couple of very tough races, which could've taken a bit out of him. He's had a decent amount of time to recover, but I think he is worth taking on. Haggas doesn't send them over unless he thinks they have a real chance.

For those who like French racing, there's a very good card over at Longchamp as well. I've got enough selections today from the UK and Ireland so I've decided to dodge it, but I think Ioritz Mendizabal could have a good day, getting a lot of good rides from the travelling stables 👍

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