Illusionist to make all his rivals vanish
ILLUSIONIST (4.20) has a few more tricks up his sleeve in the Virgin Bet Handicap at Doncaster.
He weaved his magic to get up with a strong, late burst on soft ground at York a couple of weeks ago.
This race is sure to be run at a sizzling pace with a stack of trail-blazers lining up to scorch away in the early stages.
That should set things up nicely for Grant Tuer’s speedster. Have 1pt to win at
Doncaster’s Vertem Futurity Trophy card kicks off with a competitive 7f handicap and it looks a good opportunity for
MASKED IDENTITY
(1.00).
He is well treated on his best efforts from last season and he returned to form when runner-up at Nottingham over 1m last time out.
The return to 7f should help and he is at his best on soft ground. Most of the likely pacesetters are drawn high so he should be in the right position from stall 12. Have 1pt each-way at 14-1.
COCKALORUM (2.40) appears to have lost his way a little but I reckon the market has overreacted to a couple of below-par runs.
The ground was probably too quick for him at Ayr last month and then he chased a strong pace in a hot York contest.
His second behind Johnny Drama in the John Smith’s Cup at York in the summer shows what he’s capable of and there’s every chance he could get an easy lead.
It’s a little irritating there’s only seven runners but he’s worth a 1pt win bet at
At Newbury, ONE JOURNEY (4.50) should be spot on after returning from a four-month break with a promising effort at York two weeks ago.
The form is probably even better than it looked as she sat close to the pace in a race dominated by hold-up horses.
She has had only four races and her debut win last season came on soft ground at Newbury, so she has her conditions today.
Her trainer, Roger Charlton, has his team in decent shape so have 2pts to win at 9-2.
12-1.