Doncaster Racecourse

November Handicap

Heron Bay Set to Fly in totesport.com November Handicap

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Margarson Considering totesport.com November Handicap for Young Mick 06/11/07

Group Three winner Young Mick heads a total of 41 entries for the £75,000 totesport.com November Handicap, run over a mile and a half at Doncaster on Saturday, November 10, the final day of the British Flat turf season.

Young Mick
© racing-images.co.uk

Newmarket trainer George Margarson is considering the race for his stable star, who finished fifth on his latest start in the Listed Floodlit Stakes at Kempton on November 3. The handler will decide on Wednesday if the five-year-old gelding will take his chance in the final major contest of the Flat season.

He said: “Young Mick is 50/50 at the moment. He ran at Kempton on Saturday night, and he seemed to come out of it really well. He was always on target for the totesport.com November Handicap, and we thought the race at Kempton would be a soft option for him, but it didn’t turn out that way.”

The trainer has been impressed with the state of the ground at Doncaster since the course’s £34-million redevelopment, and hopes the going remains on the fast side of good.

He continued: “Good to firm ground would be ideal for him, and if Doncaster rides as it has been, I’d be over the moon. It’s like a carpet there, and the track is fantastic there now. I’ve got no worries on that side.”

Young Mick enjoyed a progressive campaign last season, culminating in victory in the Group Three Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot in September, 2006. His last run in handicap company came in the 2006 totesport.com Ebor at York, when he finished third.

Margarson concluded: “He ran well in the Ebor last year, but he was sucked into going the strong pace set by River Alhaarth that time. If Mudawin hadn’t had come with a run, I think Young Mick would have beaten Glistening, but having a horse each side of him threw him a little bit.

“I think he prefers big fields, and his better races have been when they’ve gone an even gallop, and not stop-start. He likes being able to get into the race when it the pace starts to pick up. You’ve got Rose Hill at Doncaster, which provides a nice breather coming down, and the long straight which will play to him.”

Also entered in the totesport.com November Handicap is Godolphin’s New Guinea, who beat Young Mick at Leicester recently, and who finished second behind Galactic Star in the Doncaster Audi Stakes at the Ladbrokes St Leger Meeting in September.

Godolphin could also be represented by Lake Toya, winner of the Listed Gillies Fillies Stakes at Windsor last November, and Rampallion.

Geoff Wragg has entered Heron Bay, successful in the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot, while recent Newmarket handicap scorer Greek Envoy could line up for North Yorkshire-based trainer Tom Tate.

St Savarin finished eighth in last year’s totesport.com November Handicap, and the Richard Fahey-trained six-year-old was a close second on his last start in the ladbrokes.com Stakes at Ascot on October13.

Malt Or Mash was victorious in a Newmarket handicap on October 6, and he could bid to confirm that form with Sanbuch, Bandama and Realism, while the unbeaten Pippa Greene is set to run for Whatcombe-based trainer Paul Cole.

Both Black Rock and Tropical Strait may bid for hat-tricks, while Minkowski could represent French-based trainer John Hammond. The four-year-old colt was fourth in the totesport.com Ebor at York in August.

The maximum field for the totesport.com November Handicap is 23.

Totesport Bet: 8/1 Black Rock, Pippa Greene, Heaven Knows, 10/1 Minkowski, 12/1 Sanbuch, Cutting Crew, 12/1 Greek Envoy, Harry Tricker, Malt Or Mash, New Guinea, St Savarin, Tropical Strait, 16/1 Akarem, Bandama, Heron Bay, Oh Glory Be, Rampallion, 20/1 Lake Toya, Lundy’s Lane, Night Crescendo, Young Mick, 25/1 BAR

The totesport.com November Handicap is the highlight of an entertaining seven-race card at Doncaster, which also features the £30,000 Listed totesport 0800221 221 EBF Gillies Fillies’ Stakes (2.05pm) over an extended 10 furlongs, where the 17 entries include Godolphin’s Lake Toya, successful in this contest last year when it was run at Windsor. The £40,000 Listed totesportcasino.com Wentworth Stakes (2.35pm), run over six furlongs, has 27 entries at the five-day entry stage including the consistent Borderlescott as well as Godolphin’s duo Greek Renaissance and Opera Cape.

AWARDS AND END OF SEASON PARTY AT DONCASTER!

totesport.com November Handicap day celebrates the British Flat season of 2007 and presentations to the Champion Trainer, Champion Owner, Champion Jockey and Champion Apprentice will take place. The thrilling battle to be Champion Jockey between Jamie Spencer and Seb Sanders could go right through to the final race.

New awards to add to the end of season party include the newly commissioned owners and trainers trophies provided by the British Horseracing Authority. Paul Roy (Chairman of the BHA) and Nic Coward (Chief Executive of the BHA) are expected on the day to present these trophies to representatives from Godolphin (leading owner) and Aidan O’Brien (leading trainer). Reigning champion jockey Ryan Moore will be present to crown the new champion jockey.

The apprentice jockeys award, which goes to Greg Fairley, is sponsored by the Jockeys Association of Great Britain. New JAGB Chief Executive Josh Apiafi will be in attendance.

Channel 4 will provide highlight clips to each presentation which will be shown on the big screen and other screens around the course. The presentations will be filmed by Channel 4 and shown live if time allows.

After racing it’s the End of Season Party! Kings Of Queen, an exciting and powerful four-piece band who accurately recreate the phenomenon that was Queen, will perform in the new Lazarus Exhibition Hall of the Urban-i Grandstand.

GROUND

The going at Doncaster is currently GOOD TO FIRM, GOOD IN PLACES.

David Williams, Estates Manager at Doncaster, said today: “We have not seen any rain for three weeks now and the going is currently good to firm, good in places.

“We could experience some drizzle on Wednesday or Thursday this week, although the most significant rain this week could arrive on Saturday, when we are forecast to receive between five and six millimetres.