3 minute read

Drawing barrier 21 hasn’t dampened the support and enthusiasm for Another Wil who remains the raging favourite for Saturday’s (6 April) G1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick.

Aiming for his fifth consecutive victory and his sixth from what will be his eighth start, the four-year-old gelding shot to Doncaster Mile favouritism after strolling to a leisurely two and a quarter length victory in last week's G3 Doncaster Prelude (1500m) at Rosehill.

The Ciaron Maher-trained Another Wil has not been unplaced in his seven runs and his victories have all been manufactured with big winning margins.

The race is dominated with runners from Maher and Sydney's leading trainer Chris Waller. They both have five in the field, as well as each having one of the four reserves in the 20-horse line-up.

Another Wil, to be ridden by Jamie Kah who has described the four-year-old as a freak, will come into barrier 17 if the reserves fail to get a start.

"I thought he was a freak, and he is one," Kah said after the Doncaster Prelude victory.

"It's nice to see him do that.

"He keeps stepping up and I still think we haven't got anywhere near his peak yet. So bring it on."

Waller, who has locked in Hong Kong-based jockey Zac Purton to ride top three-year-old Militarize, will attempt a record-equalling seventh victory in the prestigious race.

The record for the most Doncaster Mile wins is separately held by the legendary Tommy Smith and his daughter Gai Waterhouse.

Militarize is rated Waller's top hope of providing him with glory in a race which he says the secret to winning comes down the timing of a horse's preparation.

"They still have to be sharp and fit enough for the race and they have to be a decent horse, too," Waller said. "You don't fluke winning Doncasters."

Highly-rated Japanese raider Obamburumai, who won last November's lucrative Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill, is considered one of the major dangers.

The Les Bridge-trained three-year-old Celestial Legend has won three of his seven starts, including the last two when he claimed the G2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill and then the G1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick early last month.

The colt won a 1200m trial at Randwick on 22 March to keep him up the mark for his assault on the Doncaster.

Sporting the prominent silks of Hong Kong owner Boniface Ho, Celestial Legend has been allocated the minimum weight of 108lb, while the top weight Think About It will carry 126lb.

"Celestial Legend is terrific,'' Bridge said.

"We can't have the horse any better for Saturday.

"If he has a weakness it's probably that he is going to meet a lot of horses that are more seasoned than him. He has only had seven starts."

Trainer Annabel Neasham is confident the rapidly improved Lady Laguna is weighted to win Saturday's race and will carry only 112lb.

"To my mind, Lady Laguna is the best-weighted horse in the field,'' Neasham said.

"She proved in the George Ryder that her Canterbury Stakes win was no fluke."

Think About It, the winner of last year's The Everest (1200m) at Randwick, hasn't won beyond 1400m but trainer Joseph Pride said the gelding will go into the race at his peak.

But he admitted that when they first considered the Doncaster Mile that they didn't envisage such a "red-hot" line-up.