A Monday at the Home of Flat Racing

My dad used to say there was no such thing as a bad day at Doncaster. He'd drag me along as a kid, thermos flask in one hand, Racing Post in the other, and I'd spend most of the afternoon eating a slightly squashed ham sandwich and watching him argue with strangers about draw bias. Happy days. Doncaster has that effect on people — it's a proper racecourse, steeped in history, and even on a quiet Monday afternoon in June it has a way of making you feel like something important might just be about to happen.

And this Monday, 22 June 2026, we've got seven races to get stuck into on what looks a lovely summer's afternoon. The going is Good — just about as fair as it gets on the flat. No excuses for connections, no horror stories about false ground, just honest racing on a track riding at its very best. If you're heading down or tuning into Racing TV from the sofa, you're in for a decent afternoon. Pull up the full Doncaster racecard and let's work through it together.

The Feature Race: 14:45 — The 100% Racing TV Profits Back To Racing Selling Stakes

Now, I know what you're thinking — a selling stakes as the feature race? Bear with me. At £10,000 in prize money, the 14:45 over seven furlongs and fifteen yards is the joint-highest value race on the card alongside the 16:45, and with a field of two-year-olds who are largely unraced and unrated, it carries that delicious air of the unknown that only juvenile racing can provide.

There's a non-runner to note with Bluestone Lady and Liveadream both trained by Phillip Makin — check the racecard for the latest on that. Of those left standing, Amantha (Brian Ellison, Pierre-Louis Jamin) catches the eye. Ellison is a trainer who knows how to place a horse, and Jamin has been quietly building a solid book of rides. Northern Viola for John and Sean Quinn, partnered by Jason Hart, is another to consider — Hart is a jockey who rarely wastes a journey, and Quinn's yard has been in decent nick. With unrated juveniles, form is thin on the ground, so lean on the trainer and jockey combinations you trust. This one could throw up a nice price.

Key Runners to Watch Across the Card

Mereside Princess — 14:15 (Course & Distance Winner)

The opening handicap over a mile for three-year-olds at 14:15 is a lovely little puzzle, but one runner stands out immediately: Mereside Princess, trained by David and Nicola Barron and ridden by Oliver Stammers. She carries the all-important [C,D] flag — meaning she's already won at this course over this distance — and that counts for a great deal at Doncaster, where the long, sweeping home straight rewards horses who've learned to settle and quicken here before.

She's rated 62, which puts her in the middle of the pack, but course and distance form on Good ground is exactly the profile you want in a field of 3YOs still finding their feet. Stammers is a young jockey on the rise and will be hungry to make his mark. Each-way at the very least.

Carolus Magnus — 15:15 (Course & Distance Winner)

The 15:15 seven-furlong handicap is a competitive eleven-runner affair, but Carolus Magnus — an eight-year-old veteran trained by Michael and David Easterby and ridden by Billy Garritty — has been around the block enough times to know exactly what's required here. He's a [C,D] horse, rated 64, and while his age might put some punters off, old boys like this often save their best for conditions they know and love. Good ground suits him perfectly. Don't dismiss him.

Time Turner — 15:45 (Course Winner)

The mile and a half handicap at 15:45 is where Connor Beasley saddles up on Time Turner for Edward Bethell, and this looks a solid each-way shout. Time Turner is a four-year-old rated 65 — top of the handicap — and carries the [D] flag for distance form. Bethell and Beasley are a combination that works well together, and Beasley in particular is a jockey who reads a race beautifully from the front or just off the pace. On Good ground over a trip that suits, he's the one I'd be most confident putting a few quid on.

Blakefell / Welbury / Highland Olly — 16:45 (The Class 5 Feature)

The 16:45 over a mile and 208 yards is the other £10,000 race on the card and arguably the most intriguing contest of the afternoon. Three horses share the top rating of 75: Highland Olly (Grant Tuer, course winner), Blakefell (Ivan Furtado, course winner, Jason Hart up), and Welbury (Edward Bethell, Connor Beasley again).

On Good ground over this trip, course form matters enormously, and both Highland Olly and Blakefell have it. Blakefell with Jason Hart is my preference — Hart is in fine form, Furtado's horses have been running well, and the [C] flag suggests he knows his way around here. But honestly, this is a race where you might want to cover two of the three top-rated runners if the prices are right.

How the Good Going Shapes the Day

Good ground at Doncaster in June is about as ideal as conditions get for flat racing. The track rides fairly, the times are honest, and crucially — it doesn't massively favour either the hold-up horses or the front-runners. What it does reward is horses with a clean action and genuine ability, which means the ratings and the course form become more reliable guides than on trickier going.

For the older horses in the card — particularly those carrying the [C,D] flags — Good ground means they can reproduce their best form without the unpredictability of soft or firm underfoot conditions. Yaaser in the 15:15 (eight years old, [C,D], Paul Mulrennan in the saddle for Jim Goldie) is another veteran who will appreciate conditions and shouldn't be ignored at what could be a generous price. Mulrennan is a seasoned professional who knows how to nurse an old horse home, and Goldie's string have been running consistently.

In the sprint at 16:15, Zuffolo (Michael Dods, Connor Beasley, [D] flag) is the top-rated runner over five furlongs on ground he should handle. Dods trains his sprinters to peak fitness and Beasley gives them every chance. Worth a small each-way interest.

Best Bets & Ones to Watch

  • Best Bet: Time Turner (15:45) — Top-rated, distance form, Beasley up for Bethell. Looks the most straightforward winner on the card.
  • Each-Way Pick: Mereside Princess (14:15) — Course and distance form is gold dust in a 3YO handicap. Stammers is a jockey to follow.
  • Each-Way Pick: Blakefell (16:45) — Jason Hart on a course winner in the day's most competitive race. The 75-rated trio make this fascinating.
  • Value Shout: Carolus Magnus (15:15) — Eight-year-olds get dismissed too easily. C&D form on Good ground? He knows what he's doing.
  • One to Watch: Northern Viola (14:45) — Unraced juvenile, but Jason Hart and a yard in form. Could be anything.

Seven races, Good ground, and a card that offers something for everyone — from the seasoned punter who's been coming to Doncaster for decades to the newcomer having their first flutter. That's the beauty of this sport. Good luck this afternoon, and as my dad always said — back your fancy, enjoy the racing, and don't blame the jockey. Well, most of the time.