Doncaster St Leger Festival Day 1 Tips: Danielle can dazzle rivals

The Betfred St Leger Festival gets underway on Thursday and Town Moor is set for four days of cracking flat action.

We've studied Thursday's card, which features a couple of Group 2s, a £300k two-year-old contest and some competitive handicaps, and settled on our Doncaster St Leger Festival Day 1 tips.

15:00 - Danielle @ 11/4

The Betfred Park Hill Stakes sets a stamina test for the fillies and DANIELLE can provide the answers.

John & Thady Gosden's charge ran a cracker to finish second in the Lillie Langtry Stakes over the one-mile-six-furlong trip at Goodwood 40 days ago and that run confirms the four-year-old can make her presence felt in pattern company.

The winner, Waardah, and Danielle, pulled miles clear of their rivals at Goodwood and a repeat of that level of performance should be enough to strike at Donny.

It's encouraging that the second-place finish on the South Downs was Danielle's best effort of her career, which coincided with her tackling her longest trip to date.

The four-year-old has no issues with testing conditions and with a flat track expected to suit well, Gosden's runner can take Park Hill honours.

15:35 - Respond @ 4/1

RESPOND put in a good performance to break his maiden at Haydock 34 days ago and Andrew Balding's charge can score on handicap debut at 15:35.

The gelding goes to post in the three-year-old handicap over a mile-and-a-quarter off a mark of 86 and there may well be more to come.

Prior to scoring impressively on Merseyside, Respond had finished runner-up to Wave Rider in a valuable maiden at Sandown.

Wave Rider has since placed in decent handicaps at York, Hamilton and Ascot, and Respond wasn't beaten far by Harry Charlton's charge, after not getting a clear run through.

The three-year-old has been a little keen in his races, and while that's of some concern, it also indicates that there could be further improvement if he is a little more manageable for jockey Joe Fanning.

17:15 - Munsif @ 9/2

Betfred offer four places in the closing handicap on the card at 17:15 and MUNSIF rates an each-way play.

Roger Varian's gelding was an impressive maiden winner at Nottingham and followed up with an even more stylish victory in a novice at Pontefract.

He should improve for the experience of defeats at York and Goodwood and he can get back to winning ways on Town Moor.

The three-year-old made a big mid-race move at Goodwood last time out, where he probably needed the run, and his performance can certainly be upgraded.

A mark of 87 looks workable and Varian's hope can fulfil the promise he showed as a two-year-old.

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