Scenic Aims for Group Two Glory at the St Leger Festival

Ed Walker is setting his sights high with Scenic, who looks to build on her impressive win at York as she tackles the Group Two Betfred Park Hill Fillies' Stakes at Doncaster on Thursday.

After starting her season with a victory at Kempton, Scenic, the daughter of Lope De Vega, had struggled to make a significant impact in her next two starts at Haydock and Pontefract. However, her fortunes changed when she was stepped up in trip to nearly two miles at Deauville, where she narrowly missed out on victory, finishing a close third.

A return to a mile and a half in the Galtres Stakes at York's Ebor meeting saw Scenic produce a powerful finish off a strong pace, securing a commanding win. This earned her the chance to compete for Group Two honours on the opening day of the prestigious St Leger Festival.

Trainer Ed Walker is optimistic about her chances, despite acknowledging the quick turnaround since her York success. "I think she’s in good nick, it probably comes a little bit sooner than ideal but she seems very well and looks great," Walker stated. He believes the step back up to one mile and six furlongs will play to her strengths, adding, "We’re hopeful of a big run, and I think stepping back up in trip will actually suit her better than a mile and a half, so it’s really exciting."

Tom Marquand will take the reins on Scenic for the first time, with Oisin Murphy opting to ride Andrew Balding's Night Sparkle. Murphy had steered Scenic to her victory at York but sees great potential in Night Sparkle, who finished fourth in the Lonsdale Cup at the same meeting.

"She’s been training really well, and I thought I hit the front a bit too soon on her at York last time," Murphy said. "It looks a decent opportunity for her. She’s one of the top-rated horses, and it would mean a lot to me if I could win on Night Sparkle."

Night Sparkle has been consistent this season, finishing second in the Coral Marathon and the Lillie Langtry Stakes, and connections will be hoping she can deliver a big performance in the Park Hill Stakes.

Among the competition is Hughie Morrison's Mistral Star, who finished fourth in the Yorkshire Oaks and steps up to a mile and three-quarters for the first time. Morrison is cautiously optimistic, saying, "I hope she’ll stay. She didn’t like the ground at Ayr and was unlucky at Haydock earlier in the year, but she ran well at York, so hopefully we’ve got a good chance."

Defending champion Sumo Sam, trained by Paul and Oliver Cole, is also in the mix, though her participation depends on ground conditions. "We’re going to look at the ground in the morning," Oliver Cole noted, hinting that a switch to Salisbury might be on the cards if the going isn’t suitable.

Ralph Beckett’s Oxford Comma, an intriguing entry, steps up in class following novice wins at Salisbury and Doncaster earlier this year. Despite a layoff, connections are confident in her potential. "It will be a big ask for her jumping up in grade, but she’s a filly we really like, and we think she will be even better next year," said Alex Elliott, racing adviser to Valmont.

As the St Leger Festival kicks off, Scenic’s bid for Group Two success adds an exciting narrative to an already high-quality contest. With a talented field lining up and the competition fierce, all eyes will be on Doncaster to see if Ed Walker’s charge can continue her impressive rise.