An unspectacular meeting on Doncaster's Town Hall racecourse, but the racecard provided some fairly interesting contests with a juvenile maiden race holding the biggest appeal. With staying races, sprints, novice races and two rare races on the round mile course posed a challenge to punters and gave some exciting action.
The relentless sunshine of the past month or so had dissipated and conditions were overcast for the afternoon's action with occasional drizzle. For the earlier races, a headwind blew into the faces of the leaders, giving them a disadvantage but it led to some excitingly close finishes on track. 

Race One: The Sky Sports Racing HD Virgin 519 Novice Stakes - 1 mile, 2 furlongs - Class Five - Five Runners:

Winner: Intergalacticat (#3) - (Bobby's Kitten x Interstella) - O. Murphy - J. Fanshawe

With just five runners, the race lacked betting appeal but the field contained some promising types with a couple of "could be anything" types. The ten furlong contest was open to three, four and five year-olds, but the quintet was made of three year-olds and leading trainers and jockeys were represented here. The obvious starting point was the Alan King-trained Whispering Royal. Owned by the Chelsea Thoroughbreds, the son of Gustav Klimt won on his debut for former trainer Barry Fitzgerald in Ireland. The gelding faced the handicap of carrying more weight than his rivals which gave a chance to the remainder. Chief rival appeared to be Ala Kaifi for trainer Ismail Mohammed. The colt had shown promise in two starts and looked a work in progress so far. Completing the field was Intergalacticat, who finished third on his first start on turf, Kitten's Bay for trainer Mark Walford and the Charlie Hills-trained Timely Escape, a half-brother to classy Cairn Gorm.
Oisin Murphy and James Doyle were just two of the star names in the saddle to ride at Doncaster this afternoon and they fought out a great battle in the final stages as Intergalacticat got off the mark for the first time. In the early stages, the keen going Kitten's Bay made the running as the order remained unchanged for the majority of the race. Entering the final two furlongs, Whispering Royal moved stylishly into contention and looked a danger, but the lack of a recent run told as he began to retreat. That left the pair of Ala Kaifi and Intergalacticat to fight it out close home and it was the James Fanshawe-trained gelding who landed the prize. Having shown limited promise on the all weather previously, Intergalacticat showed big improvement at Yarmouth on his first start on turf. That form had subsequently worked out and the son of Bobby's Kitten got his nose in front right on the line. Ala Kaifi looked unlucky to lose out but showed promise as Timely Escape and Whispering Royal completed the top four.

Race Two: The Doncaster Supporting Racing Stable Staff Week Handicap - Class Five - 6 Furlongs - Thirteen Runners.
Winner: Golden Duke (#6) - (Galileo Gold x Porta Portese) - D. Fentiman - N. Tinkler

The first of the sprint handicaps on the straight course looked a tight contest with the thirteen runners seperated by just ten pounds on official ratings. There was plenty of recent winners in the line up and most of the horses arrived here in good form. The Ian McInnes-trained Crypto Quest won at the course on his stable debut at the start of the month at big odds and was looking to regain that winning thread. The once smart Asadjumeirah had slipped down the ratings and was capable of winning in the near future in this easier grade. The lightly raced Okeanos had remained largely consistent with top two finishes in four of his eight career starts and Dandy Spirit had won twice recently, failing to complete the hat trick on previous start. Making his first start for the shrewd John Butler yard, Brazen Idol made his reappearance in a race filled with chances.

The early pace looked decent with plenty of runners taking each other on for the early lead. Facing a stiff headwind, the front runners would be at a disadvantage as those held up were able to slipstream their rivals. In a dramatic finish, the field fanned out as the front runners began to weaken. The Nigel Tinkler-trained Golden Duke was friendless in the betting but caused a bit of a shock result, but there didn't appear to be much of a fluke about the result. Held up early under Duran Fentiman, the four-year-old had to wait for a gap ahead before switching to the left flank of the pack where daylight appeared. Once in the open, the Galileo Gold gelding burst through the order and denied Okeanos, Beauty Choice and Brazen Idol with a smart turn of pace. Golden Duke had been a useful handicapper at this level before finding his rating too much of a burden. The easing of his mark gave him every chance and he pounced at the first opportunity. 

Race Three: The Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 EBF Novice Stakes - Class Four - Seven Furlongs - Eight Runners.
Winner: Bigbertiebassett (#3) - (Almanzor x My Special J's) - L. Keniry - T. Dascombe

This class four novice held most intrigue of the entire racecard with runners showing a high level of promise on their debuts alongside horses with very exciting pedigrees and futures. Last year's running saw a shock winner in the form of Forca Timao, but hopes were high of a classier winner for the future. 
Of those with a run under their belt already, the Tom Dascombe-trained Bigbertiebassett was expected to run well on his second start. A runner-up finish at Newbury was promising and he is stoutly bred as a half brother to smart staying handicapper Nathanael Greene. The light blue silks of Roger Brookhouse, usually seen in the jumps game, were carryed by Secret Beach, trained by Roger's son Ben. The colt finished fourth on debut at Nottingham where he showed greenness. The small stable of Ronald Thompson was represented by two runners, the debutants Jesse William and Novello Lad, with the latter being most interesting on breeding as a half brother to 
The handful of newcomers had a lot of expectation to live up to as part of some famous families. Godolphin unveiled their newcomer Stormy Waves, a 525,000guinea purchase as a yearling and he is a distant relative of the smart Moth, Hearthstead Maison and Rave Reviews. Second of the intriguing newcomers was Arabic Legend, ridden by Oisin Murphy. The colt is a son of the great Dubawi and grade one winner Sheika Reika, with his full sister Youngest a debut winner. Most exciting of all on the lineup however was Al Mootamarid for trainer Marco Botti. A son of Kingman, the colt is a half brother to the brilliant Derby, Eclipse and Arc winner Golden Horn. 
The race would go the way of those with experience as the Tom Dascombe trained Bigbertiebassett looked a smart prospect in victory. At the start, the fancied Arabic Legend was withdrawn after rearing in the stalls and the newcomer Al Mootamarid was finding the new experience a little too much to handle. He was slowly out of the stalls but up front, the favourite Bigbertiebassett set the pace. Drawing clear with minimal fuss, the previous racecourse experience was put to good effect as the son of Almanzor landed the race in good style. A half brother to triple winner over ten furlongs, My Frankel, the juvenile could make into an even better three-year-old. Novello Lad ran a highly promising debut in second and the expensive Stormy Waves had to settle for third on his debut. 

Race Four: The AGM Safety Ltd Handicap - Class Five - One Mile, Six Furlongs - Five Runners
Winner: Pledgeofallegiance (#1) - (Sea The Stars x Vow) - D. Keenan - Sir M. Prescott Bt.

Another small field was on offer for racegoers, but the fourteen furlong handicap was taken part by some improving three year olds who should progress over this longer distance. The market was highly in favour of Pledgeofallegiance, which came as no surprise given his astute trainer. With midfield finishes over a mile, the Sir Mark Prescott-trained gelding finished second and first over this distance and was widely expected to begin a winning streak, as so many of his stablemates achieve. Chief rival came in the form of Double Oban for trainer Hugo Palmer. Winning on his sixth start, he just scraped home in a three runner novice at Leicester, but a step up to this trip was potentially the right move. Runners from the Charlie Johnston yard can never be written off over this trip which meant Trojan Spirit posed a threat as well. The field was completed by Ralph Beckett's Campaign Trail and Alan King's Royal Deeside. 
The tried and trusted method of Sir Mark Prescott with three-year-olds over staying distances came to good effect once again, this time with Pledgeofallegiance following up his Redcar win. The five strong field ran in Indian file in the early stages as Darragh Keenan was already into a healthy lead descending the Rose Hill section of the track. Approaching the final few furlongs, Campaign Trail made gains into his advantage but proved tricky to keep straight. As Pledgeofallegiance galloped on resolutely, he never looked threatened once as he held off his market rival by a length. It would come as no surprise to see the son of Sea The Stars entered again quickly with every chance of completing a hat trick. Behind the protagonists, Royal Deeside and Double Oban came home in third and fourth respectively.

Race Five: The It's Racing Staff Week Handicap - Class Five - One Mile - Nine Runners.

Winner: Dougies Dream (#6) - (Fast Company x Sidney Girl) - A. Jary - N. Tinkler 

The first of two races on the round mile course took place with a competitive class five handicap featuring plenty of regulars to Doncaster. The likes of Cassy O, Absolute Dream and Tiger Beetle have all either won or gone close at Doncaster before and they lined up once again on Town Hall. The popular one-eyed Jack Daniel arrived here on the back of a win at Thirsk back in April and lined up with top weight while towards the bottom of the weights, Bird Of Prey was running well since switching to the yard of Ivan Furtado. Eyes were immediately drawn to the appearance of Leadenhall in the race line up as the four year old was expected to be operating a much higher level than he is currently. Owned and bred by the Juddmonte operation, the Ralph Beckett-trained four year old is a produce of top racemare Promising Lead and a full brother to the exciting Laurel. To see these silks at such a low level is a rarity, but connections will be hoping for much more improvement from the gelding. 
The race would see a double landed for trainer Nigel Tinkler as the four-year-old Dougies Dream landed the race in determined fashion. There was plenty of contenders for the lead early on and once again it was beneficial to be held up in the early stages. Bird Of Play, Jack Daniel and Tipperary Moon all took each other on in the early exchanges as Dougies Dream watched on under young apprentice Alex Jary. Entering the business end of the race, the son of Fast Company caught the eye making headway on the outside of the group before nosing ahead close home. In another exciting finish, a pair of necks seperated the first three. Early leader Bird Of Play held on gamely but was denied a win and Leadenhall completed the podium order. Having looked set to gain his first win, the Juddmonte gelding appeared to do everything in his power to not win. The winner Dougies Dream was game in winning and seemed to appreciate the drop to a mile having finishing fourth over ten furlongs at the similar layout of York racecourse.

Race Six: The Celebrating Racing's Workforce Fillies' Handicap - Class Five - 1 Mile - Nine Runners.
Winner: Lady Wormsley (#4) - (Twilight Son x Dutch Princess) - O. Murphy - J. Fanshawe 
A tightly contested fillies and mares handicap which saw a good turnout for the class five prize. The very consistent Hostelry made a lot of appeal for the stable of Ruth Carr which is enjoying a brilliant season so far and Lady Wormsley made the trip from Newmarket for trainer James Fanshawe. Likely favourite was the game Strangerontheshore, who hadn't won for a while but was always on the premises at the finish. Most eye-catching runner of all was the Ian Williams-trained Timewaitsfornobody, in the colours of Robert Allcock which were made famous last year by Alfred Boucher. The three-year-old filly has joined the Williams stable after three finishes down the field for Eve Johnson Houghton. The daughter of Camacho has a beautiful pedigree on her dam side and could rank higher than what she has shown so far.

The second race on the round course saw another thrilling finish as half a length seperated the first three once again. This time, Nigel Tinkler had to settle for second as his mare Strangerontheshore was denied by Lady Wormsley, giving Oisin Murphy and James Fanshawe their second win of the day. Strangerontheshore grabbed first run on her rivals and lead into the final two furlongs as plenty of her rivals loomed large. Coming down the centre of the track, Lady Wormsley made her winning move under Oisin Murphy and her sustained run was a winning one. A regular on the all-weather, the daughter of Twilight Son has improved since switching to handicap company and she could have more to offer on turf for the rest of the season. The Ruth Carr-trained Hostelry posted another good placed effort in third while Paco's Pride returned in fourth.

Race Seven: The #WeAreRacing Handicap - Class Six - Six Furlongs - Thirteen  runners.
Winner: Rwenearlytheredad (#11) - (Havana Grey x King's Guest) - Z. Wheatley - D. Carroll. 

A low grade finale for three year old sprinters, but the action promised to be fast and furious. One of the leading contenders was the Declan Carroll-trained Rwenearlytheredad, who was a winner at Beverley just three days previously. Arriving at Doncaster without a penalty, he was expected to follow up with a quick fire double this week. Shine's Ambition was a promising two-year-old last year before disappointing recently while Awtaar was a fast finishing third on this course last week. The likes of Higher Law, Crime Fiction and Mine That Ship had all dropped to ratings which suggested a good performance was due soon.
The field was reduced by one at the start as the Brian Ellison-trained Chattel Village reared in the stalls, getting his leg over the side of the stall and leaving the handlers no choice but to withdraw him immediately. The horse was perfectly fine however and it was a double of withdrawals for Oisin Murphy to go with his two winners. The race would eventually see another close finish and a second win of the week for the favourite Rwenearlytheredad. Up with the pace from start to finish under improving jockey Zak Wheatley, the son of Havana Grey gamely rallied with plenty of rivals around him. In a tight climax, he denied the top weight Trabajo Detecho by a head and followed up his win at Beverley on the previous Tuesday. After a slow start, Parr Fire recovered with a fast finishing effort into third while Slingsby claimed fourth.