Paul Kealy's play of the day at Doncaster on Saturday

King's Lynn
2.25 Doncaster

The six-year-old was a winner of the Group 2 Temple Stakes just over a year ago, and he's also won a couple of Listed events in his time (one at Doncaster) as well as a valuable sales race (also at Doncaster), but he has never managed to win in handicap company.

Admittedly he has spent a lot of his time in Group company and been a shade too high in the weights against up-and-coming handicappers, but he has steadily slid to a mark of 104 despite a few pretty good runs this term, and he's as good at Doncaster as he is anywhere.

The prospect of really desperate ground, which looked likely at one point, has receded dramatically and that's good news because King's Lynn has twice been beaten out of sight on heavy this term, the first time in the Cammidge at Doncaster in April, and then last time out at Goodwood in the Stewards' Cup.

However, I've always thought 6f stretched him on bad ground, and conditions were truly awful at Goodwood, although it's doubtful they left a mark.

He responded to his terrible season-opening run with a length second next time when attempting to give 10lb to winner Nymphadora, a filly now rated the same as him following further success at Listed level.

Being beaten just over three lengths in the Wokingham (travelled great but didn't quite get home) was far from a disgrace, while after that he was beaten just under three lengths when hampered back at Ascot over 5f and was doing his best work late, as he always does over that trip.

This intermediate distance of 5½f could well prove perfect, and other than his Cammidge flop his form figures at Doncaster read 1221, with the only horses to have beaten him being Starman and Aberama Gold.

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