You don’t even blink. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on a competitive five-furlong sprint that will see two previous distance winners reunite in Doncaster to demonstrate their skills over the shortest distances. 2.05pm Doncaster: Join Today Century Racing Club Handicap (5ft)On the open market, Venture Capital looks a good bet having scored impressively over this course and won twice by 1½ lengths in the 11-runner 0-95 handicap in September. Although that race was on good ground, he has performed well since and finished third of 12 in the Grade 2 Ascot on soft ground. He has really come into form in his last four runs and has hit figures of 1213 over five and six furlongs on various occasions, so he is clearly a very versatile performer.
He has led the way in both of his wins so far this year, but if he runs as he usually does, he won’t need to take the lead despite the early action. Shane Gray is clearly the right fight for the job, taking part in all four of Venture Capital’s wins, taking him to a combined record of 311113 over five to seven furlongs. Two of his career bests have come in the last two games, so he’s still on the rise and has a chance to repeat his win here last month with the same result. His preference for the center means Gray can choose which area of the track he wants to compete in.
Elsewhere, Aberama Gold won this race at the Proving Ground last year by 96 points, so it will be interesting here too with just 85 points. Since that effort, he has failed to win 16 times, but has suffered many setbacks. , including missing the class 2 spot at Catterick where the track was sharper than I would have liked on this trip. Returning to this stadium for the first time since last year, they have a real chance to defend their title at a much lower level, although they will prefer a tougher pitch than expected.
