Magic Box managed to land a much-needed winner on Wednesday.
William Haggas' filly showed her liking for the soft ground again and was very tenacious in the finish. The front two pulled miles clear, but her stamina and willingness to win got her through against the second favourite.
Ever Driven was a very late non-runner. He bolted to the race start, which resulted in the stewards withdrawing him.
Stem 9/4 (1pt) – Doncaster 3.45
Seeing Sean Levey going to Doncaster over Sandown when he could've been on a horse in a Listed race is strange. From looking at his rides, he must be going up to Yorkshire for the ride on Stem, and that gives positive vibes.
Stem is one from one in his career to date, and made a lovely debut 306 days ago at Newbury. He showed a nice liking to the heavy ground that day and won by 9.5L, beating a fairly solid field with ease. He hasn't been seen since, and I don't think that will be due to an injury, but more to do with looking after him. They clearly think he is a very nice horse, and coming to this race is a good indicator of the level of horse they think he is.
This race is a strange one because if they manage to win, it gives them a free entry to the St Leger later in the season. The fact that Sean is happy to give up a ride in a Listed race and come from the ride on this guy tells me that they think he'll win, and that Sean wants the ride in the Leger.
He has a tough ask as this is over 12f, and his sole win was over 7f. Not only that, but he has been away from the track for nearly a year, and he has to carry a 6lb penalty for winning last time out. On the bright side, he handles soft ground, and the form of his win looks strong.
Miller Spirit 9/2 (1pt) – Yamourth 8.10
Thursday is the start of the Racing League for 2025. As always, this probably isn't for everyone, but the racing is very competitive and you can get some good odds.
Miller Spirit progressed nicely over middle-distance trips last year for Gary Moore. He won three in a row towards the latter end of the season, capitalising on soft ground. This year he has returned in decent form, but hasn't had his ideal ground to give him a fighting chance of getting wins.
His run last time out at Ascot in a Class 2 race, which saw him finish fourth of six, just 3L behind the winner, is a good indicator that he is close to winning. That run was on good to firm ground, quite the opposite of what he needs. Today, his handicap mark has dropped to 90, which is his last winning mark, but also the ground is soft.
Billy Loughnane is in the saddle, and I think he is the right guy for trying this longer trip.
GambleAware