Tim Easterby’s bargain buy to end super season in style at Doncaster (From Gazette & Herald)

Tim Easterby’s Body And Soul to end super season in style at Doncaster

10:38am Friday 26th October 2012 in Sport By Tom O'Ryan, Racing journalist

Just over 12 months ago, Body And Soul appeared in the Doncaster sales ring as a yearling and was bought by Tim Easterby for a knockdown £7,500. Since then, she has won four of her six races and prize money exceeding £285,000, and has proved herself one of the outstanding bargains of recent years.

Tomorrow, the North Yorkshire-based juvenile returns to Doncaster to contest the Park Hill Hospital Stakes, a Listed affair, and is napped to finish her momentous campaign in style.

Successful in maiden company at Ripon before following up at Thirsk, Body And Soul went on to win jackpot prizes in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury and the Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy, successes which sandwiched a narrow defeat, in third, in another big-money sales race at York’s Ebor Festival.

Body And Soul’s latest success at Redcar was gained in decisive fashion and, although she faces tougher opposition tomorrow, this likeable and talented filly is taken to oblige yet again. David Allan is back in the saddle.

The £200,000 Racing Post Trophy, the final Group 1 race of the year in Britain, takes pride of place on the Town Moor card and Aidan O’Brien, who has such a fine record in this juvenile affair, is fancied to add to his tally of wins with Kingsbarns.

O’Brien has won this race a magnificent seven times since 1997 with some classy horses, like Camelot last year and previously St Nicholas Abbey.

Kingsbarns won his only start, a maiden at Navan, in simple fashion and, while this is a huge step up in class for him, it is surely significant that he is chosen by O’Brien as his representative and, furthermore, that he has been supplemented into this race at a late stage. Mark Johnston’s tough-as-teak Steeler may give him most to think about.

Whatever Easterby’s fate with Body And Soul, the Great Habton trainer has another good chance on the programme with Captain Dunne in the wide-open Genting Casinos Levy Board Handicap.

This popular sprinter has yet to win this season but has dropped down the handicap the best part of a stone since his glory days and there was much to like about his latest runner-up effort at York behind Pearl Blue.

Alan Swinbank’s four-times winner Lady Kashaan (2.00) and the exciting Code Of Honor (3.35), a 50-1 winner at Newbury last time, are others to note.

Paul Hanagan may prove the jockey to follow at Newbury.

He has good prospects of a treble on useful prospect Estiqaama (1.40), a runner-up at Salisbury last time, Hawaafez (2.45), who showed she is thriving when beating useful rivals at Ascot, and Lahaag (3.45), who was only narrowly denied a hat-trick at York a couple of weeks ago.

Hanagan also has a chance in the Worthington’s Wizz Kid Stakes on Alhebayeb, successful in the July Stakes at Newmarket for the jockey’s principal patron, Sheik Hamdan Al Maktoum. But Sheik Hamdan’s other runner, Odooj, may prove superior.

Racing selections

Doncaster (tomorrow)
1.25 Gifted Dancer, 2.00 Lady Kashaan, 2.30 Captain Dunne, 3.05 Kingsbarns, 3.35 Code Of Honor, 4.10 Body And Soul (NAP), 4.45 Skilful, 5.20 Sir Windsorlot.

Newbury (tomorrow)
1.40 Estiqaama, 2.15 Odooj, 2.45 Hawaafez, 3.15 Victrix Ludorum, 3.45 Lahaag, 4.20 Russian Rave, 4.55 Spin Cast.

Tomorrow’s other meetings: Aintree, Chepstow, Stratford and Wolverhampton.

Today’s meetings: Doncaster, Fakenham, Newbury, Newcastle, Wolverhampton.