2025 Aintree & Doncaster Saturday Tips – DS
2025 Aintree & Doncaster Saturday Tips
The Breeders’ Cup didn’t go to plan. Dave made the mistake of tipping up closers when it was mostly a weekend for horses that liked to be close to the early pace. We return to UK action on Saturday and ITV are showing ten races but unfortunately, six of them have seven runners or less. Hopefully we can get back on track, Dave Stevos’ 2025 Aintree & Doncaster Saturday preview is below.
1.25 Doncaster – Wentworth Stakes (Listed)
There’s a few interesting outsiders here. Balmoral Lady, who we backed when she won at Haydock, was runner up in this last season on soft ground. However, it has to be said that, at the time of writing, Ed Walker had not had a winner for 16 days so that is off-putting, and so is Balmoral Lady’s recent form.
A rating of 99 leaves Stop The Cavalry, one of two for Ralph Beckett, with a bit to find on paper but I think she could go well dropped back to 6f for the first time since she won over the trip at Chester back in July 2024.
This daughter of Lope De Vega has been campaigned over 7f and 1m since that win and she has managed to nick black type at both distances. She was runner up in a Listed heat at Longchamp over 1m last year and then this year, she was third in another Listed race at Chelmsford over 7f.
Stop The Cavalry ran well on her latest start over 1m at Saint-Cloud, weakening late on into fifth, beaten less than 2l. Given that her stamina is assured, hopefully they go a good clip early and if they do that on this testing ground, she’ll hopefully be doing her best work at the finish. At odds of 33/1, Stop The Cavalry is the e/w selection.
2025 Aintree & Doncaster Saturday Tip: Stop The Cavalry e/w @ 33/1
2.40 Aintree – Grand Sefton Handicap Chase (Class 2)
I was initially disappointed to see just 17 declared for this race but looking back at the last few renewals, it’s the biggest field since 2020. So many of these are lacking a run and that makes things so much harder from a tipping perspective.
Sometimes it can pay to go with a hot hand at this time of the year and it seems as though Tom Lacey’s horses have hit the ground running at the start of this NH season. Blow Your Wad ran a cracker for him on his seasonal reappearance in the Sodexo Gold Cup at Ascot and I’m hoping Nocte Volatus can do similar here.
This 10yo son of Midnight Legend knows how to win. He has amassed a record of 5-22 over fences and he has been in the first three on another eight occasions. One of those five wins came on his seasonal return last season off a mark of 124 and that wasn’t the first time he has run well fresh.
Overall, since he started his chasing career, he boasts form figures of F221 first time out and when he fell, it was at the final fence at Market Rasen and he was leading by 16 lengths. He’s rated 130 now, so he’s 6lb higher than when winning first time up last year but he was placed off 129 at Market Rasen in January so he can be competitive off this mark.
As his fitness has to be taken on trust, he isn’t one for maximum stakes but given his record when fresh and his generous odds, Nocte Volatus is worth chancing e/w for small stakes.
2025 Aintree & Doncaster saturday Tip: Nocte Volatus e/w @ 28/1 (5 places)
3.10 Doncaster – Gillies’ Fillies’ Stakes (Listed)
There seems to be a lot of trainers tilting at windmills in this 1m2f Listed contest. There’s a lot of chaff to sift through but one long shot that looks worthy of her place in this race is last season’s fifth, Ciara Pearl.
Yes, she was beaten 5l by the winner Estrange but she’s a top class filly and she was only 1.25l behind the third, so she wasn’t far away at all from picking up some precious black type.
Her sole win this term came in a fillies’ handicap off 87 at Nottingham in May. Five runs later, Daniel and Claire Kubler tried to nick some black type again at York (1m2f, soft) and this time, Ciara Pearl again finished fifth, 3.25l behind the winner Running Lion and only 1.5l behind Rainbows Edge who finished third and subsequently landed a Listed race at Longchamp two runs later.
I think Ciara Pearl is well worth another try in this grade and she shaped as though still in form when runner up in a Nottingham handicap early last month. This trip is her optimum, soft ground is fine and at odds of 25/1, hopefully she can go at least one place better than she did last year.
2025 Aintree & Doncaster saturday Tip: Ciara Pearl e/w @ 25/1 (4 places) NAP
3.45 Doncaster – November Handicap (Class 2)
The bottom weight Adjuvant might be worth a second look here. He managed to finish ninth in this last season off 92, beaten just 5l for the win and he is back to try again off 5lb lower.
This 6yo son of New Bay comes into this race fresher than most. He’s had just three runs this season and he shaped encouragingly over 1m6f at Yarmouth last time, leading and then weakening late into second. His sole start at 1m4f this year saw him beaten just 1.25l at Goodwood off 90 so he is more than capable of running well off this 3lb lower mark.
The return to softer ground is a plus for Michaeel Bell’s charge. He has had three runs on soft/heavy on his career, finishing runner up in hot handicaps at Goodwood (off 95) and Newmarket (off 90) and also finishing ninth in this last year. With conditions to suit, Adjuvant is the each way selection at odds of 20/1.
