Doncaster Day 2 Horse Racing Tips: Back a Mallard and Cup duo at 16/1 for Friday

• Unexposed Varian stayer high on the list

• Trueshan has great claims of holding onto the Doncaster Cup

• Alan Dudman's latest multiple pays 16/117.00 for Friday

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Doncaster - 13:50: Back Shadow Dance @ 11/43.75

Yesterday was all rather frustrating on the ground front as Mistral Star didn't have any good ground and was a non-runner and Victorious Street didn't go in the soft conditions. Indeed, it felt like trying to play a game of cards with a deck of 37 rather than 52 with the going stick at 6.1 reading 'good' in the description, yet last year it was 6.4 and soft. Go figure!

Shadow Dance at 11/43.75 runs in the Mallard Handicap at 13:50 to open Friday, and while the Mallard has a sense of faded grandeur these days, Shadow Dance is progressive and fairly lightly-raced, and crucially has some soft ground form.

He battled to a a gritty success at York over 1m4f last time off 95 in the style of a grinder, and he should be okay with the extra distance to near-enough 1m7f here.

A rise to 100 is fair enough for winning a good handicap and he was deemed worthy of competing in the Duke Of Edinburgh at Royal Ascot, but it was first run of the season and wasn't at the races at all there. He put it right at Ripon and Newmarket subsequently.

Last year he looked a force with an easy win at Haydock and a fine second in soft in the Old Rowley Cup at Newmarket over 1m4f, and he travelled the best he has in races in soft.

I give him a big chance today off 100.

Doncaster - 15:35: Back Trueshan @ 7/24.50

Trueshan appears for the first time in the column in many years, but if the ground still has any of that soft in it today, the old warrior has to have a chance in what is essentially a poor turnout for a Group race.

Alan King's stayer might be eight years of age and into the veteran stage of his career, but those years are like dog years as he has been a non-runner without his conditions on more than one occasion.

He won it last year where Hollie Doyle made a race-winning move and in the process beat Sweet William - who turned the tables on him this year at Sandown.

He's not quite at his peak powers, but he won't have to be. I do worry about Sweet William over this sort of trip and in a battle, and with no young acolytes in the race, the 7/24.50 looks fair on him retaining his crown.

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