It may be the start of the flat season at Doncaster this weekend but spring seems far away with the weather we have had this winter. The rain seemed never ending during January and February and then we were hit by the ‘Beast From The East’ with two loads of snow covering the gallops. Although we have been able to keep the horses ticking over, we have not enjoyed the trouble free run that the milder climate of the West Country usually allows and the main string may need a couple of runs before they hit peak fitness this campaign. We have a couple of runners this weekend making their seasonal return and will provide a guide for the rest of the team.
Sir Plato (7:45 Kempton) had a cracking three-year-old campaign, winning on his seasonal debut at Kempton last year off 57 before going on record a further four successes at Windsor and he ended up the year rated 80. Obviously things will be much tougher this time around and he may be at his best round the figure of eight track that is Windsor but it looks a good starting point this evening.
Sir Roderic (2:25 Doncaster ITV4) had a very similar profile to Sir Plato with five wins as a three-year-old and we had high hopes for this classy type last year but it just never worked out for him. A couple of thirds showed he retains his ability and in his defence he was competing in some strong Heritage Handicaps and may have just lost his confidence. He has had a wind operation over the winter and combined with some leniency from the handicapper (now 81 having been 96 in this race last year) suggests he could be in for a good season on his favoured soft ground. He surprisingly got into the Spring Mile (needed 24 to come out) and although it is a competitive contest and he may be better round a bend so we are hopeful more than confident but we are keen to get him back on track when soft ground is around.