Penny Rose to prove extremely good value at Doncaster races (From Gazette & Herald)

Penny Rose to prove extremely good value at Doncaster races

10:00am Thursday 25th October 2012 in Sport By Tom O'Ryan, Racing journalist

Penny Rose, winner of two of her four starts this term, can add to her tally at Doncaster tomorrow for Mark Johnston, who can expect an interesting weekend at Town Moor.

On Saturday, the North Yorkshire trainer is set to saddle Steeler in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy. The Middleham colt has never stopped improving and his regular jockey Kieren Fallon has said he “wouldn’t swap him for any other horse in the race”.

Joe Fanning might have similar sentiments about Penny Rose in the Bet Through The Racing Post Mobile App Nursery.

A winner at Leicester and Newbury, where she beat Desert Image, Penny Rose has since picked up a hefty £15,000 in prize money when finishing fourth in a richly-endowed Tattersalls Sales race at Newmarket over seven furlongs.

The step up to a mile will suit Penny Rose, who is napped to come out on top and secure her third win of the campaign.

The Racing Post/SIS Betting Shop Manager of Year Handicap is the feature race, and, in a wide-open event, Gatepost could be the one to be on, representing Richard Fahey and Paul Hanagan.

Formerly a good juvenile with Mick Channon, Gatepost has yet to win this season, but he has run some solid races in defeat, not least at Ayr last time when he beaten only three lengths into fifth place in the Silver Cup.

He promises to go well here, as does Mick Easterby’s Ancient Cross, narrowly denied in a hot handicap at Catterick last Saturday, but now stepping up to six furlongs, a distance over which he has never previously scored.

Wetherby trainer Peter Salmon has only a small string, but it would not be the greatest surprise if he won both divisions of the Lidget Compton Handicap.

Salmon runs Change The Subject in the first division and the four-year-old would surely not need to improve much on his latest neck second to The Lock Master at Haydock to prevail.

Salmon can also score with Hydrant, a proven soft-ground performer, who will have the services of Frankie Dettori.

Also worth noting are the promising Qawaafy (2.10), the mount of Paul Hanagan, and David O’Meara’s Robert The Painter (5.30), long overdue a win.

At Newbury, Shahdaroba may prove the answer to the Sir Gerald Whent Memorial Nursery.

Rod Millman’s consistent juvenile went down narrowly to Polski Max in a similar race at York a couple of weeks ago. He deserves to find compensation.

The unstoppable Richard Hughes, with the jockeys’ championship bagged, can score on the promising World Record (2.50).

Racing selections

Doncaster (tomorrow)
1.40 Breden, 2.10 Qawaafy, 2-40 Penny Rose (NAP), 3.15 Gatepost, 3.50 Yours Ever, 4.25 Change The Subject, 5.00 Hydrant, 5.30 Robert The Painter.

Newbury (tomorrow)
1.50 Inaugural, 2.20 Mawson, 2.50 World Record, 3.25 Shahdaroba, 4.00 Consider Yourself, 4.35 Anya, 5.10 Becausewecan.

Tomorrow’s other meetings: Fakenham and Wolverhampton.

Today’s meetings: Carlisle, Ludlow, Southwell and Wolverhampton.