Dave Nevison's racing tips for Doncaster's bumper Sunday card

With four Group One events from The Curragh on Racing TV this Sunday afternoon, Angus McNae and Johnny Ward have both taken a look at the action there elsewhere on racingtv.com.

But the sad circumstances of the last 72 hours have also led to a fine card for St Leger day at Doncaster and I am hoping at least one of these four gets home in front.

This will be run at a furious pace with so many frontrunners in the field and to my mind looks very likely to be won by a strong finisher. Juan Les Pins has already won four on the spin, three of them for new trainer Mick Appleby (it being far from unusual for Appleby to improve an older horse from another yard) and the latest of them came in a similar race at this track so he is demonstrably well suited to Doncaster.

He has been raised a further 7lb for that win and that puts him 20lb higher than when he started this winning spree but I feel that with a hot sprinter even that sort of raise is not insurmountable. Frederick Larson takes over again and I have commented often about this young jockey’s ability particularly in sprints - he takes off a valuable 5lb here.

Even though his losing run which goes back almost two years was extended even further last time at York, and he only landed me some (extra) place money in that race, I said on Racing TV that I would be backing Makanah for the Portland Handicap if he headed for this race and I am not going to change my mind now as the unique trip looks absolutely ideal for him.

He is perfectly well suited to these big-field handicaps. He finished seventh when he last ran in this race but was drawn on the wing and isolated throughout, but still ran really well. He has not always enjoyed the best of luck with the draw and last time out he was once again drawn in stall one and found himself trapped against the far rail, narrowly beaten but clearly having more to give at the line. He is ideally drawn in the middle of the track this here and hopefully things will work out favourably for him (and for us!) this time.

It was after a gap of six weeks that Arthur’s Realm came out and ran probably his best-ever race last time when very narrowly beaten by Empirestateofmind in a similarly big field at Thirsk. He has had another six weeks off since that run but I am assuming that is by design and with a 2lb pull with his rival from last time he must be a big runner here.

Oisin Orr is back on board this afternoon and Arthur’s Realm won the Lincoln consolation event over course and distance last season so has plenty in his favour here. His trainer Ed Dunlop’s good season continues and the four-year-old also has a win on soft ground to his name so it is difficult to see him not running a good race here.

This mare has already been well backed since the race was rescheduled but is not difficult to see why and she looks a good favourite to me. She did this column a favour when winning at Goodwood back in May and I was expecting a good summer for her afterwards - which has not happened.

I am not at all concerned that she has been absent for more than two months - she is a sparely-made mare who won’t take too much keeping fit and her trainer Alan King remains in excellent form. Her run last time came in a very strong Old Newton Cup and the drop down in trip may not have been perfect for her so the fact that she is back up another two furlongs here looks to be a positive. The softish ground is perfect.