Racing resumes at Doncaster on Sunday following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday with a meeting and a race that was close to the late monarch’s heart throughout her reign.
She paid her first visit to Town Moor on Leger day in 1952, just a few months after inheriting the royal silks and bloodstock following the death of her father, George VI, to see Gay Time finish unplaced in the Classic behind Tulyar, that year’s Derby winner.
A quarter of a century later, in her Silver Jubilee year, Dunfermline followed up her win in the 1977 Oaks and provided the Queen with one of her most prestigious and memorable victories in seven decades as an owner and breeder, staying on strongly past the previously unbeaten Alleged and Lester Piggott in the final furlong to the delight of a huge crowd at the track.
The decision to move the Leger card from Saturday to Sunday, with the addition of several contests lost on Thursday and Friday, will “provide an opportunity for the sport and its supporters to pay its respects to Her Majesty, for the contribution which she has made to the sport to be marked, and for racing to express its deep gratitude to her”, Julie Harrington, the British Horseracing Authority’s chief executive, said on Friday.
All racecourses staging meetings from Sunday until the Queen’s funeral will fly flags at half mast, a period of silence will be observed before racing and all jockeys will wear black armbands while riding.
The Leger itself has attracted nine runners and New London, seen as a possible Derby horse earlier in the year, is sure to start favourite at around even money.
Charlie Appleby’s colt has won four of his five races to date but does not have as much in hand on ratings as his odds might suggest and Haskoy (3.55) could be worth backing to become only the fourth filly to win since Dunfermline.
Doncaster 12.30 Chaldean 1.00 Mums Tipple 1.35 Trillium 2.10 Dusky Lord (nap) 2.45 Trueshan 3.20 Kinross 3.55 Haskoy (nb) 4.30 Point Lynas 5.05 Hms President
Chepstow 1.25 Fossos 2.00 Commission 2.35 Ischia 3.10 Wade’s Magic 3.40 Hiromichi 4.20 Moondial 4.55 Zealot
Ralph Beckett’s runner will be just 44 days into her racing career on Sunday but has already shown a decent level of form and came from some way off a steady pace to win with something to spare at York last month. She get a 3lb fillies’ allowance from the favourite and still looked inexperienced at York, so may not need to find much to give the favourite a race.
Doncaster 1.35: The Platinum Queen lost nothing in defeat when runner-up to Highfield Princess in the Nunthorpe Stakes last month but Trillium, the Molecomb winner at Goodwood in July, may have more scope for improvement.
Curragh 1.50: Above The Curve, a lightly raced daughter of American Pharoah, landed a Group One in France on just her fourth start and has the scope to improve past the more established opposition here.
Doncaster 2.10: Sixteen of 22 Portland Handicap winners this century have come from a double-figure draw and Dusky Lord, who managed to find trouble in running against just four rivals last time, is interesting at around 16-1 to take advantage of a pitch in stall 21. He was a close second off his current mark at Goodwood in July and he should get a decent tow from Bergerac in 22.
Curragh 2.25: Highfield Princess is at least 8lb in front of these rivals after taking her form to a new level in the Nunthorpe and a third consecutive top-level win looks imminent.
Doncaster 2.45: A punters’ benefit in recent years with seven of the last eight favourites coming home in front and Trueshan, nearly a stone clear of second-favourite Coltrane on official ratings, has an obvious chance to extend the sequence.
Curragh 3.00: Homeless Songs was only fifth when Dermot Weld fast-tracked her into this Group One last year on her second start, but she has proved herself to be a Group One filly this year and it looks significant that Weld holds Tahiyra in similar regard. She showed an abrupt turn of foot to win her maiden at Galway by five and a half lengths and is a big price at 9-2 to improve past Meditate, the Albany Stakes winner.
Doncaster 3.20: Kinross has a penalty for his Group Two success at York last month but he won with something in hand and has form with some ease in the ground too.
Curragh 3.35: Aidan O’Brien, slightly surprisingly, has not won Ireland’s most prestigious juvenile colts’ event since 2016, but he has a strong hand with Aesop’s Fables and Hans Anderson, with the former preferred to confirm the form of his comfortable win in a strongly-run Futurity Stakes last month.
Curragh 4.10: Kyprios has improved from a Listed success in April to be the new leader in the staying division in the space of four races this season, and while the fragile Hamish has long threatened to develop into a Group One horse, he still has a few pounds to find if O’Brien’s runner is anywhere close to his best.
