Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: Doncaster St Leger Festival Day One Preview

William Hill ambassador Nick Luck previews Day One of the Doncaster St Leger Festival, with five selections across Thursday’s action.

Doncaster, Thursday

LOVE OLIVIA is a sporting pick in the Donny opener Thursday (1.15). She looked pretty smart early on, recording a big figure on her debut on the all weather. Stakes company has been tough for her, often used up hard over the minimum trip on fast ground. This all might come a bit easier to her and, with a break and a change of stables, could start to look quite well treated off this mark.

CALENDAR GIRL looks of great interest in the sales race (1.50). She might just be done for a touch of class, but she comes out very nicely under the conditions of the race and has a jockey brimful of confidence aboard doing light. She was too far back off a pedestrian tempo at Epsom last time (should have won) and that form has taken a nice boost subsequently. She’s in good hands, and this will have been the target for some time.

AYLIN might get a good bit closer to Moon Target in the May Hill (2.25). Highly regarded, she made another move forward in the Goodwood race, but shaped for all the world as though easier ground and an extra furlong could easily elicit more. She has David Egan back aboard, and should be well suited by this track.

CONSENT looks sure to go well, albeit in a loaded Park Hill (3.00). Kept away from the summer ground in the UK, she’s run two very sound races this year, improving as she has stepped up in distance. She arguably ought to have won a Group 3 at Deauville, but this straightforward track should allow her to unwind and use her stride with ground conditions to suit.

HOPEWELL ROCK looks a thoroughly sound market leader in the ITV finale (3.35). He made a perfectly encouraging fist of it in a small field race on his comeback, and should be right there even with a repeat of that effort. Factor in improvement for the run and a proven aptitude on easier ground, plus the tremendous recent form of the stable, and he is hard to ignore.