Hollie Doyle, our resident racing ambassador, shares her insights on the action unfolding at Town Moor, offering her perspective on three key contests: the Park Hill, the May Hill, and the Sales Race. The Betfred Park Hill Fillies' Stakes – colloquially known as the Fillies' Leger – is slated at 3.00 and stands out as a marquee event on the opening day of the Betfred St Leger Festival at Doncaster this Thursday. Doyle anticipates a fiercely contested renewal and believes the race will likely be won by the Owen Burrows‑trained filly Waardah. Waardah arrives on a modest campaign this season, having contested two major races in company of other pattern performers.
Her most recent outing was the Group Two Lillie Langtry Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, where she was caught out by a touch of freshness early on – her first start since May. This time she will race with a hood for the first time, a change that could sharpen her focus and give her an edge over rivals such as Fairy Glen, a classy filly who impressed at Meydan in the spring by winning the Dubai Gold Cup over two miles, beating the probable Doncaster Cup favorite Caballo De Mar. Simon and Ed Crisford’s mare has demonstrated that she can return strongly after a break; a four‑month spell should not unsettle her, especially given her proven stamina over the extended mile‑and‑three‑quarter distance of the Park Hill. Her pedigree and previous performances suggest she will stay on strongly in the closing stages.
Turning to the other Group Two contest on the opening card, the Betfred May Hill Stakes (3.35) for two‑year‑old fillies, Doyle highlights Godolphin’s Musical Times. This filly has been building a solid reputation after unbeaten runs in novice events at Newmarket and Yarmouth. She is a daughter of Lope De Vega and is being earmarked as a potential challenger for the Group One Fillies' Mile later in the season. While her record is still developing, she offers a compelling storyline as a Classic trial contender.
Nevertheless, Doyle notes that Musical Times has yet to face top‑class opposition, so she backs Irish‑trained Sea Of Rain as a more seasoned alternative. Sea Of Rain secured a Group Three victory at the Curragh and brings Jim Bolger’s seasoned training to the race, making her a reliable option, especially if the ground proves testing. In the juvenile division, the Weatherbys £300,000 2‑Year‑Old Stakes (1.50) is expected to be dominated by the favorite Night In Vegas. The colt, owned by Eve Johnson Houghton, carries a lofty rating of 102 but will be conceding weight to many of his rivals under the race’s conditions.
His credentials are impressive: a valuable auction race win at Newmarket and a respectable third place in the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. Doyle also expresses confidence in William Haggas’s God Given Talent, a colt who was unlucky in a fourth‑place finish at York’s Ebor Festival when making his first start for Haggas after a switch from James Ferguson’s yard. She hopes her husband Tom Marquand will get a good ride on this horse.
Another contender worth watching is Satellite Of Love, a Clive Cox‑trained colt rated 91, who was unbeaten in his first two starts before finishing a distant fifth behind the Group One winner Sun Goddess in a sales race at York. Doyle believes he could be in contention if the pace suits him. In the British Stallion Studs ’Carrie Red’ EBF Fillies’ Nursery Handicap (1.15), Art Of Life has yet to break her maiden but could deliver a debut win. The Cox filly has been unlucky in previous outings at Newbury, often encountering strong competition, such as when she was a shade too keen behind Tom’s hot favorite Sweetwonderfulyou.
Doyle marginally prefers Art Of Life over Richard Spencer’s likely favorite Speed Of Sound, a Sioux Nation filly who performed admirably behind Sun Goddess in the valuable York sales race. At a higher price point, Richard Hannon’s Rollthedicebaby also possesses the class to bounce back after a modest finish behind Speed Of Sound on the Knavesmire. The mile‑and‑quarter Pertemps Network Handicap (2.25) offers a showdown between Tom Marquand and his trainer William Haggas, who have the horse they all have to beat: King Of Earth. This son of Frankel impressed in a valuable Curragh handicap earlier in the summer, winning while wearing cheekpieces for the first time, and showed resilience in a Group Three at York.
Back in a handicap with favorable ground and a good draw, King Of Earth could quickly regain form, potentially at the expense of John and Thady Gosden’s Runman. King Of Earth, after a two‑month lay‑off, returned to win over a similar distance at Newbury and appears well‑conditioned, carrying only a three‑pound penalty.
The conditions on Town Moor should suit him nicely. Doyle’s comments were captured in an interview with Sky Sports Racing’s Simon Mapletoft. Fans can follow every race of the Betfred St Leger Festival live on Sky Sports Racing (Sky 415 | Virgin 512) from Thursday, 10 September through Sunday, 13 September.