Nick Luck’s blog: Could be a Dark horse in the Racing League

Doncaster

COCO JAMBOO is a nice way to start a busy day at 17/2 in front of the ITV cameras across their family of channels (1.25pm). This filly was beaten at odds-on in a Kempton novice last time, but the subsequent exploits of the first two (and the distant fourth) suggest now that she’s on a really handy mark. This is backed up by the form of her two previous starts, and her pedigree, which strongly suggests she can do a bit better still under a rider who loves this track.

NOVAKAI is another one I like at 17/2 for Atzeni in the May Hill (2.35pm). She was sent off favourite for her run in the Sweet Solera, but it all happened a bit quickly on a speed favouring track and a fast surface. She’ll be more at home over a flat mile with some cut in the ground and can make amends here for a stable that is long on talent in this division.

URBAN ARTIST is quite a strong fancy at 15/2 in the Park Hill (3.10pm). Because she established an unusual lead on the field at Goodwood, I’m not sure her run has been taken that seriously, but she went down fighting behind a really talented filly, and she may get rolling on the front end here as well. She’ll get every yard of this trip, will be just fine if the rain falls, and should arguably be a shorter price than both YesYes and Believe in Love on running at Goodwood and York (when knocked over) respectively.

Southwell

CARAUSIUS at 11/4 looks the right way to kick off Thursday night’s Racing League action from Southwell (5.45), chiefly on the basis that he looks a completely different proposition at this track, as evidenced by three wins earlier in the year when he barely came off the bridle. He’s coming back off an absence but has run well off a break before.

DARK ISLAND is a bit of a wild one at 16/1 in the 11-furlong handicap (6.15pm). He tried quite valiantly to give chase to a horse rated 20lbs better on his final qualifying run, but the handicapper has taken a pretty merciful view of that small field affair and might just have let this lightly raced and well related horse off the hook for a yard that knows what it’s doing.

BUCKSHAW VILLAGE broke his maiden in one of these races at Lingfield the other day, but the manner of that performance suggested it was far from a fluke (7.15pm). His two-year-old form suggested he should be well capable of this, but he rather marked time (often in good company) earlier in the year until the gelding operation that evidently made the difference. The form could hardly have worked out better, and surely a six-pound rise isn’t enough to stop him at 6/1.