Last year’s Betfred Howard Wright Doncaster Cup Stakes winner Sweet William will look to become only the third horse this century to have won back-to-back renewals of the race.
This is another contest the John & Thady Gosden team have an excellent record in down the years, winning it four times courtesy of Samuel (2010), Stradivarius (2019/2021) and Sweet William (2024).
A field of eight will go to post for Friday’s feature race, worth £150,000 and run over 2m2f. The 6-year-old Sweet William will be joined by Sunway who was placed in the Betfred St Leger last year, and finished fourth in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on his penultimate start.
William Buick and Willie Mullins teamed up to win the SkyBet Ebor Handicap last month and renew their partnership once again on Friday when Buick gets the leg up on Hipop De Loire. The 8-year-old was well fancied for the Ebor last month but only managed to finish sixth.
Coltrane has been a regular runner in the Betfred Doncaster Cup for the last three years and won a thrilling renewal in 2022. He got back to winning ways last time out, but would need to step up a fair bit on that bare form to hand his yard a third victory in this race.
This represents a first step into pattern company for Kyle Of Localsh who was an emphatic 9&½-length winner of a 2m4f handicap at Glorious Goodwood last time. Any rain would enhance Hughie Morrison’s 5-year-old’s chances.
The field is completed by course winners Pendragon and Oxford Comma, as well as the outsider of the field Tashkan who is winless for almost two years.
11 runners will go to post for the Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes (G2), worth £130,000. Aidan O’Brien will be doubly represented courtesy of Mission Central and Kansas. The former is the current market leader after a smooth success over 6f in the Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes. He will be joined by fellow Irish raider Lady Iman and the talented Havana Hurricane.
A field of 10 largely unexposed 2-year-old’s will line up in the Betfred Flying Scotsman Stakes (Listed). Godolphin have a strong hand with both Avicenna and Catullus lining up. Aidan O’Brien is also represented in the shape of Frescobaldi, while Ed Walker’s Northern Champion had the form of his debut win in France boosted recently.
Racing gets underway at 1:15pm, with the final race of the second day of the Betfred St Leger Festival set to go off at 5:20pm. The going is currently described as Good to Soft.
