Will the River Don prove an 'easy route' for Unanswered Prayers?

Saturday: 2.45 Doncaster
Albert Bartlett River Don Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) | 3m½f | 5yo+ | ITV/Sky

In recent seasons the median Racing Post Rating for all Grade 2 novice hurdle winners is 145 and this historic race usually does meet that par. The last ten winners of the River Don also have a median RPR of 145, but this year none of the runners are within a stone of that mark.

This season it looks no more than a glorified handicap and it's likely that will be where the winner ends up rather than in Graded races. So is there a horse who can prove me wrong?

Josh Moore will be hoping so. The rider returned from a bad injury at this track on Friday, and he takes over from Tom Cannon on Unanswered Prayers, who is two from four over hurdles.

Cannon is at Cheltenham to ride Forever William in the Triumph Trial for Alan King, and Moore did ride Unanswered Prayers on his debut. He will be hoping for a fairytale return.

Unanswered Prayers has 2lb to find with the top-rated My Bobby Dazzler on RPRs, but he is less exposed than that rival and, while he doesn't have Graded form himself, he does have it collaterally. He was second to subsequent Grade 1 hero Stage Star at Newbury in November.

Maybe trainer Chris Gordon sees this as an easy opportunity for a Graded win, too. After Unanswered Prayers won at Wincanton last time, Gordon said: "We want to choose an easy route this season." Either he has changed his mind or he is confident this is that easy route.

Handicap form is dominant among the remaining runners, with Coolbane Boy and Not At Present both successful in such races last time. However, they look likely to fall short in this better company and the unexposed Mahler Mission has the potential to be the biggest danger.

Trainer John McConnell is 8-33 (24 per cent) in Britain this season, but the tongue-strap is a red flag. McConnell is 3-36 with horses trying the aid for the first time since the start of 2021.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

What they say

Henry Daly, trainer of Bridge North
He won at Ludlow despite the soft ground and 2m5f trip. He wants three miles on good ground and conditions at Doncaster should suit him well.

Sandy Thomson, trainer of Coolbane Boy
It's not the strongest of races for what it is and any of them could be an improver. He deserves to take his chance and he'll love the ground, whereas some of the three-mile chasing types might want more of a test.

John McConnell, trainer of Mahler Mission
I think he'll love the step up in trip. Last time over two and a half miles would have been a minimum for him. He came out of that very well and I don't think he had a hard race. It's an open contest, but he's fully entitled to take his chance and hopefully he'll run a big race.

Chris Gordon, trainer of Unanswered Prayers
He'll like the trip, track and ground and he's in good form. It's just going to be down to whether he is good enough and we certainly hope he is.

Ben Pauling, trainer of Not At Present
He's been in good form this season and we've given him time to freshen up between his last two runs. He seems well at home and comes into the race with handicap form. I believe this is a race where you need to be a bit battle-hardened.
Reporting by Peter Scargill

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