Doncaster ready to go racing again

The South Yorkshire course lost the Group One Vertem Futurity Trophy meeting in October and the Flat season finale of the November Handicap.

Rain continued to fall before the Town Moor track was due to stage a two-day jumps card, too, so clerk of the course Roderick Duncan is relieved the ground has dried out in time for this week’s fixtures on Friday and Saturday.

“We lost four race days. The Vertem Futurity, the November Handicap and our first two National Hunt fixtures, which were a two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday,” said Duncan.

“Losing the two Flat cards was a big blow as away from the Leger, they’d be two of our biggest, so it was really disappointing.

“We had an unprecedented amount of rain, nothing could have saved them. One lad has worked here 38 years and he’s never seen water stood where it was before.

“The Town Moor golf course in the centre of the track was closed from November Handicap day and only opened last weekend. It was literally a lake in the middle of the course.”

A relatively dry week has helped enormously and while more rain is forecast, there is no doubt over Friday’s card taking place, with a Grade Two novice chase the highlight on Saturday.

“We’re good to soft, soft in places but we are getting rain this afternoon. Anything from two millimetres up to eight, but it will only take us to soft at worse,” said Duncan on Thursday.

“We’re really pleased with the Windsor Avenue versus Sam Spinner clash in the novice chase and we’ll see who runs in the Summit Juvenile Hurdle.”

Elsewhere, Nicky Richards decided to swerve Saturday’s Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham with previous winner Guitar Pete in favour of a step up to three miles at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

The nine-year-old took the Cheltenham prize two years ago and was third in the contest last season.

He was expected to take his place again, but after disappointing in the BetVictor Gold Cup in November – when Richards feels he ‘bounced’ following a winning reappearance after almost a year off – he will be given a chance to prove his stamina in the Racingtv.com Rowland Meyrick Chase.

Adding to the disappointment for the Greystoke handler was the fact Guitar Pete had accounted for BetVictor winner Happy Diva at Wetherby before heading to Cheltenham.

“He’s perfectly fine, they just haven’t had enough rain for him down there – over that trip I think he needs it now,” said Richards.

“We’ve been tempted to put him up to three miles for a while now and Mr Sloan (owner) said he likes Wetherby, so why not give him his first shot at three miles in the Rowland Meyrick.

“I think he bounced in November. He was off for nearly a year. In the past we’ve given him a run on the Flat to get him fit for Wetherby, but this year we went straight there. We should have been near the winner (Happy Diva) after where they finished at Wetherby.

“It was too bad to be true, but he seems to be bouncing, so we’ll go again on Boxing Day, he runs like he’ll get three miles – normally anyway, I know he didn’t last time.”

Smart novice hurdler Ribble Valley will be out before then with a date booked in at Ascot on Friday. “He goes to Ascot for the (Sky Bet Supreme Trial) Kennel Gate,” said Richards.