Trainer Adam Nicol’s Wise Eagle is set to contest the Virgin Bet November Handicap at Doncaster this Saturday, a race that offers over £36,000 to the winner. The six-year-old gelding will drop back to a mile and a half, a distance shorter than his usual races, hoping to capitalise on the expected soft ground at Town Moor.
Wise Eagle’s most recent outing was in the Phil Bull Trophy Conditions Stakes at Pontefract, where he finished second by just a length and a quarter to Ralph Beckett’s Oxford Comma. Running on a nearly heavy surface that day, Wise Eagle carried a stone more than the winner, and Nicol believes that the soft going at Doncaster, paired with the shorter trip, could play to his strengths.
"We’re planning to run, and I think the soft ground will suit him," Nicol said. "He ran a solid race at Pontefract, nearly on heavy ground, and did well, conceding a stone. The filly that beat him is rated 101, he’s rated 103, and we gave her weight allowances, so he’s in good form."
Nicol also commented on the gelding’s resilience, noting, "He’s held up well all season and still looks great. Being older, he might appreciate the slower pace on soft ground, and Doncaster’s big, galloping track should work to his advantage."
Other notable entries in the race include William Haggas’ La Yakel, third in the Listed Stand Cup Stakes at Chester, as well as Raphael Freire’s Maxi King and Archie Watson’s Beamish. Ralph Beckett has entered Lord Melbourne and Valvano, while Gordon Elliott has Omniscient and Royal Eagle in contention. Other trainers who were represented included Alan King, David Menuisier, and Ian Williams.