British Spot Plays: Doncaster for Sept. 11

It's a big week of racing in Europe. The highlight will be the Irish Champions Festival weekend at Leopardstown and the Curragh, while in England it's the week of the St Leger Festival at Doncaster.

The St Leger Festival runs four days, though the last is rather anticlimactic after Saturday's renewal of the world's oldest classic. Fillies are in the spotlight on Day 1, Thursday, and below are a couple I'll be taking a look at in the Group offerings.

After an unsuccessful swing during York's Ebor Festival last month, the British betting bankroll stands at $333.50 from its original starting point of $500. I'll be wagering 5% of the outstanding balance to win on the following selections, with the first play costing $17.

Race 3: May Hill (G2), 9:25 a.m. ET

This one-mile event for two-year-old fillies has thrown up some good winners in the past decade, including Laurens, Inspiral, and Desert Flower. At least on this day, I'm hoping #3 Pacific Mission (10-1) is good enough to join the list.

Although she didn't show much in her debut over the turf at Ascot (Juddmonte's Racing Manager said she suffered from "stage fright"), Pacific Mission looked much more professional three weeks later when taking a Kempton Park novice by more than two lengths over an all-weather surface. I'm not discounting her turf ability, though, as she's by Lope de Vega and out of a dam that won a Group 3 on the grass as a juvenile.

Another positive is trainer Andrew Balding, who is having an outstanding season in England. Among his recent successes is the two-year-old Gewan, who landed the Acomb (G3) at York last month.

Race 4: Park Hill (G2), 10 a.m. ET.

A strong case could be made for at least half of the fillies and mares in this 1 13/16-mile event. Four entries hail from the Gosden stable, which has won this race four times since 2015.

As logical as the Gosden-trained Danielle (the early favorite), Zilfee (a half-sister to Enable), and Crepe Suzette appear, #3 Elana Osario (6-1) also looks to be hitting her best stride at the right time.

Although Elana Osario didn't debut until mid-August of her three-year-old season in 2024, and didn't win for the first time until May 9 this term, she's starting to justify her $400,000-plus yearling cost. She's won three of her last four, including a half-length tally in the 1 1/2-mile Give Thanks (G3) at Cork last time.

In a race with an uncertain pace, Elana Osario is usually within shouting distance and seemingly has the scope to handle another step up in distance and class.