Five horses at a double-figure price it could pay to side with at Doncaster's St Leger meeting

Doncaster's four-day St Leger meeting begins today, and looking ahead to what promises to be an enthralling few days of action on Town Moor, we have identified five horses at an each-way price who look worth a second glance.

Les Bleus

Race 3.00 Doncaster, Thursday

Price 12-1

Polly Pott struck at 40-1 in this race last year and another upset could be on the cards with Richard Hughes’s Les Bleus fancied at an each-way price.

A gutsy winner of a Newmarket novice on her second start, the daughter of Blue Point was subsequently beaten four and three-quarter lengths into third in last month’s Sweet Solera Stakes – form that received a considerable boost when the winner, Fallen Angel, took Sunday’s Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

On Racing Post Ratings Les Bleus bettered that showing when fourth on heavy ground in a Deauville Group 2 last time out. Stepping up to a mile for the first time looks a notable plus for Les Bleus on that evidence, while Ryan Moore’s presence in the saddle for the first time is also significant.

Les Bleus15:00 Doncaster

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Jky: Ryan Moore Tnr: Richard Hughes

Crack Of Light

Race 3.35 Doncaster, Thursday

Price 12-1

Three-year-olds have won the last three runnings of the Park Hill Stakes and this recent trend can be continued courtesy of the William Haggas-trained Crack Of Light.

The daughter of Kingman bumped into a pair of Group 1 fillies in Warm Heart and Bluestocking when third in a Listed race at Newbury in May.

Crack Of Light has raced exclusively in France in her three subsequent starts, claiming a 1m4f Listed contest at Longchamp in June before producing placed efforts in the Group 2 Prix de Malleret and Group 3 Prix Minerve.

Having looked tapped for toe when the pace increased in the Minerve, Crack Of Light rallied strongly to ultimately only be beaten a neck. On that showing, stepping up two furlongs on a more galloping track looks an obvious plus, and while Tom Marquand jumps ship to ride stablemate Golden Lyra, replacement jockey Cieren Fallon has won aboard the filly.

Crack Of Light15:35 Doncaster

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Jky: Cieren Fallon Tnr: William Haggas

Royal Zabeel

Race 1.50 Doncaster, Friday

Price 14-1

Kevin Ryan’s Royal Zabeel ran an eyecatching race when seventh over 6f at Pontefract on his debut in July, running green in rear for much of the race – and encountering interference – but hitting the line powerfully.

Royal Zabeel showed the benefit of that experience when routing his rivals back over the same course and distance last month, racing prominently and pulling clear when asked for maximum effort to score by an ever-widening seven and a half lengths.

It would be fair to say that the form of that contest probably doesn’t account for much (second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth all beaten next time out) but Royal Zabeel was visually very impressive and the RPR (85) produced doesn’t leave him with a great deal to find in what looks a weak running of this Listed contest.

Royal Zabeel13:50 Doncaster

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Jky: William Buick Tnr: Kevin Ryan

Francis Meynell

Race 2.25 Doncaster, Friday

Price 14-1

Kevin Stott has endured a difficult week, but the rider could close it out with a big-race win aboard Francis Meynell in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes.

The Blue Point colt represents in-form Curragh trainer Michael O’Callaghan and went into the notebook after making all in a Navan maiden 15 days ago.

Francis Meynell had Tourist back in third that day, a horse who had previously chased home smart Ballydoyle juveniles Johannes Brahms and River Tiber in his starts prior, and it is worth noting that the winning time was the quickest posted on the eight-race card, faster than an Aidan O’Brien-trained three-year-old, described as “definitely stakes class” by his rider post-race, had produced an hour earlier.

Francis Meynell14:25 Doncaster

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Jky: Kevin Stott Tnr: M D O'Callaghan

Chipstead

Race 2.25 Doncaster, Saturday

Price 16-1

Roger Teal’s Chipstead has not quite matched the exploits of his Group 1-winning brother – and stablemate – Oxted in a 24-race career on the track, but he retains a three-figure official rating and looks worth siding with at an each-way price in Saturday’s Portland Handicap.

Chipstead finished first past the post in this race last year (subsequently demoted to second on appeal), an effort worth upgrading given he drifted markedly to his left under pressure.

This 5½f trip looks ideal for the five-year-old – given he has finished first past the post in both starts over the distance – and jockey Frederick Larson has form figures of 221901 when riding.