Open your eyes to Colour Vision

The Doncaster Cup is the highlight of a superb day`s horse racing on the eve of the St Leger at the Town Moor track, with not one, not two but three Group Two contests.

The Melbourne Cup is the primary 2012 target of Color Vision but Goldolphin`s improving four-year-old of Rainbow Quest has a great chance to collect the Doncaster Cup, which is run over two and a quarter miles, before getting ready to head to Australia for the race that stops a nation.

Colour Vision has to carry a Group One penalty following his victory in the Ascot Gold Cup during this year`s Royal Ascot Festival but he appears on the upgrade and he should relish the extra two furlongs since stamina is his strong suit.

The Saeed Bin Suroor-trained stayer probably did not welcome the drop back in trip when he finished third in the Goodwood Cup on his subsequent outing and the up-and-down nature of the Sussex track may have been against him as well. He did not run badly - Lonsdale Cup winner Times Well was well behind him in seventh - but he was not at his best. He should, however, take all the beating over the marathon 18-furlong distance on a much more straightforward course.

Saddler`s Rock and Masked Marvel shape as the main threats to Colour Vision. Saddler`s Rock won the 2011 Doncaster Cup and took out the aforementioned Goodwood Cup when it was run to suit him more than the Ascot Gold Cup champion. However, Saddler`s Rock was extremely disappointing at York last time out and there were no obvious excuses for his dreadful run.

Masked Marvel took out last year`s St Leger and, on that form, would be a contender. Unfortunately for John Gosden and the classic winner`s connections, the four-year-old son of Camelot`s sire, Montjeu, is being tried in blinkers for the first time in a desperate attempt to lift his game.

The May Hill Stakes is a competitive mile race for juvenile fillies, with both Godolphin`s Certify and Mick Channon`s Ollie Olga bringing unbeaten records into the contest.

Certify marked out herself as a smart filly when winning the Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket, beating Sky Lantern and one of her May Hill Stakes rivals, Reyaadah. Judging by her pedigree, she should improve over the extra furlong as well.

On a line through Sky Lantern there is not much to choose between Certify and Ollie Olga, who defeated the Richard Hannon-trained youngster in Goodwood`s Prestige Stakes.

However, that was Ollie Olga`s third run and she trails Certify on provisional ratings even though the Godolphin charge has only seen a racecourse twice. Certify is open to more significant improvement and, therefore, is the pick.

The third Group Two race is the Flying Childers Stakes, a five-furlong dash for two-year-olds of either gender, in which Sir Prancealot looks like the best bet.

Hannon has dropped Sir Prancealot back to the minimum trip after he put in good but unsuccessful back-to-back efforts in Group Two contests over six furlongs. Both times he raced as if the extra distance was just a little bit beyond him.

The young son of Tamyuz won the National Stakes at Sandown over five furlongs and, on all known form, he is the one to beat in the Flying Childers Stakes under Johhny Murtagh.

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14/09/2012     © Frixo 2024