Champion Bumper sixth Ocean Wind bids to continue fine Flat form

3.15 Doncaster
vertem.co.uk Handicap | 1m6½f | ITV4/SKY

Here is a curio: the festival fancy who is a hotpot on the day action resumes at Cheltenham is racing 150 miles away on the Flat.

Ocean Wind finished among a host of smart jumpers in the making when sixth in the Champion Bumper last March and the third, fourth and fifth that day have all won over hurdles already.

But the speed he showed in that contest tempted Roger Teal to give Flat racing a go with the colt, whose dam was a Group 1 winner in Brazil.

It proved to be an extremely shrewd move as Ocean Wind landed a maiden at Lingfield in August before he bolted up on his handicap debut in the Cesarewitch Trial at Newmarket a month later, scoring by a four and a half lengths.

Ocean Wind: won the Cesarewitch Trial but was not eligible for the Cesarewitch itselfCredit: Alan Crowhurst

He was ineligible for the Cesarewitch itself, having raced just twice on the Flat when entries closed, so he drops back to 1m6f as he bids to complete the hat-trick off a 7lb higher mark.

"He's in good shape and I'm looking forward to running him," his trainer said. "He's one of those horses who doesn't overdo himself at home but saves himself for the track.

"He did it nicely at Newmarket and it was frustrating he couldn't run in the Cesarewitch. He's back in trip but he won over a mile and a half at Lingfield and it will be on the slow side. We go there hopeful."

The Andrew Balding-trained Opera Gift is also bidding for a third straight victory from four starts and is upped in trip and penalised 6lb for his three-length victory over 1m3½f at Yarmouth last week.

John Ryan hopes cheekpieces will continue to work their magic on Hiroshima, who bounced back to form in first-time headgear to win at Ayr last month.

Hiroshima: thrived in first-time cheekpieces at Ayr last timeCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"The cheekpieces helped him concentrate when he went to the front," the trainer said.

"This is a better race but he did it quite comfortably, he's at the right end of the handicap, the ground will be perfect for him and Doncaster will suit as it is a similar galloping track."

Stargazer also comes here off the back of a win and will attempt to show that there was no fluke about last month’s 50-1 win at Haydock on his third run back from a 509-day layoff.

Watch live races through the Racing Post website. Log in to your bookmaker account via the bookmaker button at the top of the page and look on the racecards for eligible races. Click the red 'Watch live now' icon and they're off! Find out how here