Three horses who will relish testing conditions at Doncaster on Saturday

Palmar Bay – 13:35 Doncaster

Conditions at Doncaster on Saturday are likely to test the mettle of these juveniles, but Palmar Bay handled heavy ground well at Salisbury earlier this month, and he also shaped particularly well on his debut in similar conditions at Windsor.

The form of his middle run is strong, too, where he beat subsequent July Stakes winner Jasour over five furlongs, also at Salisbury in May. Given how strong he was at the finish over six furlongs last time suggests he should have no problem staying this far, and there is stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree. Palmar Bay beat a next-time-out winner last time and he is fancied to prove himself very well handicapped under conditions which will suit.

Mustazeed – 15:50 Doncaster

Mustazeed showed fairly useful form for Chris Wall, winning a couple of handicaps in 2021, while he also ran well in soft and heavy ground.

He has taken his form to a new level for Harry Eustace this year, though, making a winning start in a mile and a quarter handicap at Newbury in heavy ground on his return from six months off in April.

That form worked out well and he showed his versatility when following up in good to firm ground over the same course and distance the following month.

Mustazeed returned to form back in the mud (heavy) again at Newbury last month, doing all of his best work at the finish after an extremely sluggish start put him on the backfoot. He seems sure to run another big race in ideal conditions racing from the same mark, provided he doesn’t blow the start.

Zip – 16:25 Doncaster

Zip is a horse who is very at home when the mud is flying – four of his five career wins on turf have come in either soft or heavy ground – and he shaped better than the bare result in a competitive handicap at York last time.

He went through that race – in soft ground – like a horse still at the top of his game, though he seemingly found his earlier effort of getting across from the highest draw telling in the closing stages, while the eight-day turnaround from his previous run may also have been a factor.

Zip went with plenty of enthusiasm prior to getting tired in the final furlong and, though higher in the weights than this time last year, he does usually come to hand at this stage of the season (won a course and distance handicap in heavy ground in November last year).

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