Doncaster Mile Tips & Preview 2023

Looking for Doncaster Mile tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2023 Doncaster Mile at Randwick.

DONCASTER MILE BETTING SNAPSHOT

Last year’s Doncaster Mile winner, Mr Brightside, is favourite in the market with Palmerbet at the $5 quote, while Fangirl and Converge are both at $9. The international contender, Protagonist, has firmed in the early betting into $9.50. 

Alligator Blood will be out to bounce back after missing out as favourite in the All-Star Mile and is at $10, while a series of three-year-olds feature next with Zougotcha ($11), Osipenko ($13), Golden Mile ($18) and Lindermann ($18) in the frame. Gentleman Roy and Communist head the rest at the $19 quote. 

DONCASTER MILE FORM ANALYSIS

Mr Brightside is one of five runners that come out of the All-Star Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley and the others are Alligator Blood (4th), Nugget (5th), Gentleman Roy (7th) and My Oberon (14th). 

The Ben & JD Hayes-trained galloper set a career personal best in the March 18 affair by going 14.4 lengths faster than standard benchmark, which is the best last start figure of any runner in this race. He has improved on figures at this stage of his last two preparations, including this time last year when winning with the 50.5kg. He gets out to 55.5kg now but draws perfectly in barrier 2 and will be ridden by Hong Kong’s leading jockey, Zac Purton. 

I wouldn’t quite be writing off Alligator Blood but he is 2kg worse off at the weights. He has finished ahead of Mr Brightside in four of the six times that they have met, while I don’t think he is at his best at Moonee Valley. Nugget draws the carpark but drops a hefty 8kg, while Gentleman Roy drops 7kg but has some ground to make up. 

Seven runners come out of the George Ryder Stakes (1500m) that was taken out by Anamoe. Fangirl finally avoids that horse and was runner-up, going 5.2 lengths faster than standard benchmark. That was off a slow early tempo and she produced the fastest last 200m to finish within half a length of the Cox Plate (2040m) winner. Fangirl improved five lengths on benchmark figures at this stage of her last preparation when runner-up behind I Wish I Win in the Golden Eagle (1500m). 

Converge briefly looked the winner in the George Ryder before running 3rd. It was a bit of a blanket finish that day. The three-year-old, Communist, was 6th, beaten one length. He drops to 49kg and was a Randwick Guineas (1600m) winner at the track and trip at his start prior. 

Communist is one of five horses in the race aged three. Zougotcha might be the best credentialed and claimed the Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) at her last start, going seven lengths faster than standard benchmark. She gets the ride from Kerrin McEvoy. 

The youngsters are likely to need to produce a personal best in this race. Golden Mile hasn’t quite got to the level that saw him go 8.7 lengths faster than standard in the Golden Rose (1400m) last year when 4th. He had excuses when well back in the George Ryder. Lindermann is one of five contenders in the race for Chris Waller and claimed the Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at his most recent start. 

Waller also has Going Global, who makes his Australian racing debut, as does the Maher/Eustace galloper, Duke De Sessa. Monitor betting for that duo. Protagonist is one that has come from overseas in recent times and scored at his first go in Sydney, taking out the Sky High Stakes (2000m) ahead of Zeyrek, who has since won a Group 3 over the 2000m. He went 6.2 lengths faster than standard when winning. 

Other hopes in the race go to Bandersnatch and Hope In Your Heart. Bandersnatch tuned up with a win in the Doncaster Mile Prelude, while Hope In Your Heart was 4th in the Coolmore Classic (1500m). Pride Of Jenni was runner-up in that race and went 11.4 lengths faster than standard but she is unlikely to sneak in as the fourth emergency. 

DONCASTER MILE TIPS AND BEST BETS

This is a wide open race and the Handicap conditions of the Doncaster bring a stack of these into contention. The first few hundred metres will be crucial as they get to the first bend. I really like what Nugget has been doing this preparation and he represents a bit of value for mine at the $34. Love what the Maher/Eustace camp are able to do with horses similar to him and the former UK galloper does have the benefit of having run at Randwick over the 1600m, winning back in December. He won’t know himself with just 51kg on his back after a competitive run in the All-Star Mile. The lightweight jockey, Andrew Gibbons, just needs to find a spot early on from the wide barrier and the pair can cause a bit of an upset here.