The team assess the ITV action on Friday with day two of the St Leger Festival at Doncaster.

R1 – Betfred Mallard Handicap (1.15 Doncaster)

The opener looks an intriguing staying handicap with four-year-olds having a good recent record in the race, winning five of the last ten renewals. One that ticks plenty of boxes on paper and fits the trend is Subsequent, who will likely enjoy the softer going having recorded an excellent second in this race last year, beaten only a short-head under the same jockey, Oisin Murphy. He won a one-mile six-furlong Listed race on heavy ground at Ascot the following month. Not beaten far when ninth in the Ebor Heritage Handicap at York last month, this looks like an easier assignment. Synergism stays well and looks to be a consistent three-year-old, having won a pair of two-mile handicaps at Kempton before finishing runner-up in the Racing League at Newcastle last month.

R2 – Betfred Flying Scotsman Stakes (Listed Race) (1.50 Doncaster)

Favourites often run well in this race but have been beaten in the last four years. Catullus heads up the markets at the time of writing for leading connections, Godolphin. The son of Invincible Spirit has experience on side after three starts, shaping nicely when third on debut at Newmarket (winner placed in a York Group 3 since and the runner-up has won a Curragh Group 3, Futurity Stakes) before finishing a good Sandown second. He readily got off the mark at the third attempt when winning a four-runner seven-furlong maiden at Yarmouth a month ago and looks a promising type. Do Or Do Not remains a maiden but has placed four times in Group 2 company. With a consistent and experienced profile, he is another who makes plenty of appeal.

R3 - Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes (Group 2) (2.25 Doncaster)

Mission Central has been rapidly progressive since a gelding operation, with an 8L victory on his second start in a 6f maiden at the Curragh and followed up at the same course to take the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes two weeks ago. Top French jockey, Christophe Soumillon has been booked to ride and rates highly for the Aidan O'Brien team. Fellow Irish runner, Lady Iman holds every chance after a busy season which includes success over this trip in the G3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood two outings ago before struggling against older rivals in the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes last month.

R4 - Betfred Howard Wright Doncaster Cup Stakes (Group 2) (15:00 Doncaster)

The feature race on day two of the St Leger Festival where two previous winners' line-up to bid for another Doncaster Cup triumph. 2022 hero, Coltrane and last year's winner, Sweet William. This time around you can make a case for Sweet William, Hipop De Loire, Sunway as well as Coltrane in what is a competitive renewal.Sweet William was runner-up in this in 2023 and won the contest last year. The six-year-old has placed on the last two runs, finishing third in the two-mile Group 1 Goodwood Cup before a good second at York in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup. The Willie Mullins-trained Hipop De Loire remains unexposed as a stayer on the flat and remains of interesting following his Ebor effort, while Sunway was a Group 1 winner at two in France and has just been missing out on placings in some top-level mile and a quarter event events during the last two seasons. He was not beaten far in the G1 Goodwood Cup two starts back and holds interesting each-way claims.

R5 - Ire-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes (3.25 Salisbury)

One of the feature events of the year for Salisbury, which was rescheduled after heavy rain last week. Awaken looks a promising type for the George Boughey yard having finished a good second on debut at Yarmouth prior to running an excellent race to fill the same spot in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot. She enjoyed a maiden victory at Leicester six weeks ago and looks likely to play a major role for a trainer operating at a 33% strike rate on the turf during the last two weeks.

Planet Seeker warrants a second look for a trainer that has won two of the last three renewals. This daughter of Blue Point made a winning debut three weeks ago at Goodwood and should have more to offer.

R6 – British Stallion Studs EBF Premier Fillies' Handicap (3.40 Doncaster)

The final ITV race on Friday looks a tricky handicap. It could go the way of Perfect Your Craft, who is two from three in her career and seemed to enjoy the underfoot conditions when winning narrowly on heavy ground at Salisbury (1m) last October. She bounced back from a disappointing effort at Listed level by winning a ten-furlong handicap at this venue during July and remains open to further improvement for a stable working at a 20% strike rate on the turf in the last fortnight. Ralph Beckett has also won the last two renewals of this race which both were three-year-olds.