Sweet William is punters’ darling again after second successive Doncaster Cup success

There are horses that win with a minimum of fuss, and others, like Sweet William, that have a style that is all their own, and John & Thady Gosden’s stayer kept it interesting throughout in the Doncaster Cup on Friday, as he overcame a slow start and some early coaxing from Rab Havlin in his saddle to win the Group Two contest for the second year running.

Sweet William has often appeared to have his own ideas about the racing game during a 20-race career, with slow starts and mid-race flat spots frequently forcing Havlin to get busy at an early stage.

When he eventually goes through the gears, however, he is a very difficult horse to keep out of the frame, and while his latest win was his first since the same race 12 months ago, his fourth-place finish in this year’s Ascot Gold Cup was the only time he has been outside the first three. His strike-rate for each-way backers is 85%.

Sweet William was bumped leaving the stalls, took a few strides to find his balance and was then ridden by Havlin to make up the lost ground before tacking himself on at the back of the field. And there he stayed until leaving the turn for home, when Havlin stoked him up for one relentless run down the straight that carried him nearly four lengths clear at the line.

Havlin is a long-serving No 2 at the Gosden stable but he is the only jockey to have ridden Sweet William and he thanked Philippa and Nick Cooper, the gelding’s owners, for their loyalty after the partnership’s sixth career success. “Loyalty can be a dirty word in this game but they’ve been unbelievable to me,” Havlin said. “There’s no right or wrong way to ride him. He’s a real character, but he’s got a lot of ability.”

There are potential Group One targets for Sweet William in the weeks ahead but John Gosden suggested afterwards that the Coopers have already decided instead to plan towards a return to Town Moor next autumn.

“Philippa wants to go out on a high and we’ll build up to the Doncaster Cup next year via a few interesting races,” Gosden said. “They are great, these Cup horses, and people enjoy them. They are exciting for the crowds as a lot of our Flat horses disappear too quickly.”

Sweet William, ridden by Robert Havlin, on his way to winning the Howard Wright Doncaster Cup Stakes. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

An impressive display of raw, front-running speed secured the main supporting race on the card as Tim Easterby’s Revival Power, a sister to the stable’s Group One-winning Winter Power, led throughout in the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes.

“She’s a natural front-runner and she’s got that bit of kick,” Easterby said. “She is definitely going to improve at three.”

Lambourn to complete Derby-Leger double

Just seven runners will go to post for the St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday, the final Classic of the Flat campaign, but it is a race with real depth in terms of quality and sees the first appearance of a Derby winner in this historic contest since Camelot’s narrow failure to land the Triple Crown in 2012.

Camelot, inevitably, was a red-hot favourite when he succumbed to Encke by three-quarters of a length 13 years ago. Lambourn, though, is only second-favourite for the Leger behind Scandinavia, a stable-companion at the Aidan O’Brien yard, despite having taken the Epsom Classic by nearly four lengths in June before following up in the Irish equivalent three weeks later.

Had Lambourn been sent straight to the Leger after his win at the Curragh, he would surely head the market, but he was well below his best when fifth, at odds-on, in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last month, while Scandinavia can boast an eight-length win in the Bahrain Trophy and a Group One success in the Goodwood Cup on his last two starts.

Saturday’s race is far from a two-horse contest, though, as Paddy Twomey’s Carmers was in front of Scandinavia when successful in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, and around two lengths ahead of Lambourn when second in the Voltigeur.

All seven runners, in fact, have a glimmer of a chance – even the 40-1 outsider, Rahiebb, was within a length of Carmers at Royal Ascot – but Lambourn was a convincing Derby winner just three months ago and very much looked as though the race would bring him on when he was beaten at York.

He is also completely unexposed at 14 furlongs and a strong-travelling galloper who could well improve for the step up in trip. Scandinavia and Carmers will offer strong opposition, but Lambourn (3.40) has been edging ever close to the top of the betting in recent days and still looks fairly priced at around 5-2.

Doncaster 1.15 Easier ground could be what Treble Tee needs to return to winning form after excellent efforts in defeat on his last two starts.

Doncaster 1.50 Gewan showed a good attitude to maintain his unbeaten record at York last month and is narrowly preferred to Oxagon, a wide-margin winner last time out.

Chester 2.05 There is little to choose between Hamish, the warm favourite, and Military Academy on their form at Goodwood in June, so a 3lb swing in favour of John & Thady Gosden’s gelding makes him a logical pick at the likely odds.

Doncaster 2.25 Apollo One has been operating below his best so far this season but he was an unlucky loser of this race 12 months ago, behind a subsequent Group One winner in American Affair, and is 1lb lower in the ratings this time around.

Chester 2.40 Gordon Elliott’s Ndaawi trailed home in last place in the Cesarewitch on his latest start on the Flat but two big runs in ultra-competitive handicap hurdles since that setback suggest that he remains well-handicapped on the level.

Doncaster 3.00 A slight ease in grade could see Shadow Of Light, last year’s Dewhurst winner, gain a confidence-boosting win.