GO FLAT OUT
Large raiding party targets last-day Doncaster glory
SIX Irish trainers will be represented in Doncaster tomorrow, on the final day of the 2018 British flat season.
The listed Wentworth Stakes, over six furlongs, has attracted four Irish challengers – Aidan O’brien’s filly Could It Be Love (Seamus Heffernan), veteran Gordon Lord Byron (Adam Kirby), which will represent Tom Hogan, the Adrian Keatleytrained The Broghie Man (Gerald Mosse) and Downforce (Fran Berry), which will carry the hopes of Willie Mccreery.
Snowflakes (Seamus Heffernan) will represent Ballydoyle in the listed Gillies Fillies Stakes, over a mile and a quarter, when the opposition will include the Dermot Weld-trained Bona Fide (Declan Mcdonogh).
And Madeline Tylicki has declared Sokudo (Martin Garely) for a division for the two-year-old maiden.
Meanwhile, champion apprentice Shane Crosse might continue his winning ways on board King’s Field and Too Precious for his boss Joseph O’brien in Dundalk tonight.
The Tipperary teenager rode out his 7lb claim with a double on the polytrack on Wednesday night and has definite prospects of repeating the feat on his final day of action before his reduced 5lb claim kicks in.
Too Precious provided Crosse with the second leg of his double on Wednesday, coming with a well-judged run to beat Lady De Vesci convincingly and, under a mandatory 6lb penalty, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor makes plenty of appeal in the finale, the Crowne Plaza Race & Stay Handicap.
Joseph O’brien’s charge has two other recent course winners (both over a shorter trip), Reverberation and Russian Campaign, to beat.
Earlier, progressive three-yearold King’s Field has a big chance in the Floodlit Friday Nights Handicap, reverting to handicap company having finished 6th behind Smash Williams in the listed Knockaire Stakes at Leopardstown last time.
Prior to that effort, King’s Field, a lightly-raced son of Kodiac, had won his maiden in Cork before landing a seven-furlong handicap at this venue.
Although he went up 3lb for his listed run last time, King’s Field might have more to offer and gets the vote.
Others to note tonight are Jessica Harrington’s twice-raced colt Boston Bruin in the two-year-old colts’ maiden and Willie Mccreery’s Chamrousse, wearing a visor of the first time, in the fillies equivalent which opens the eight-race card.