Park Hill, Sceptre top Doncaster program

Trainer Ed McMahon is confident Winning Express can get back to winning ways

in the Group 3, £60,000 Sceptre Stakes over seven furlongs on the second day of

the St Leger Festival at Doncaster on Thursday. The three-year-old daughter of

Camacho was beaten three-quarters of a length by Royal Ascot heroine Annecdote

in the Oak Tree Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on August 2, having scored

impressively in a Listed contest at Warwick in June.

Winning Express has proved herself one of the leading fillies of her

generation on more than one occasion, finishing fourth behind Sky Lantern in the

One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket in May, and second in the Cheveley Park Stakes

at Newmarket in September 2012.

"Winning Express ran well at Goodwood and was probably beaten by a better

filly on the day, but we will see," McMahon said. "We are running against

Annecdote again with a three-pound pull in the weights and I don't think the

competition is any harder than it was at Goodwood.

"If you wanted to look at statistics on paper, the three pounds is probably

enough to give us the upper hand, but it all depends on how things pan out on

the day. We are entitled to be hopeful and I'm not frightened of anything, but

things can go wrong in a race -- you can get trapped in pockets -- so I'm just

looking for a good run.

"At this time of year, especially because she wants decent ground, you are

running out of options and I haven't really got any more targets after this

race. I had thought about going to Keeneland, but it's quite an expense to get

out there and she is only a three-year-old. That's on the backburner anyway."

Winning Express, with Graham Lee up for the first time, will clash with nine

rivals, including dual Group 3 scorer Maureen and French One Thousand Guineas

fourth Zurigha, both trained by Richard Hannon, and The Gold Cheongsam.

A total of 10 fillies and mares will also go to post for the feature race on

Ladies' Day, the Group 2, £90,000 Park Hill Stakes over an extended 14 furlongs,

the same distance as the St Leger.

The field includes Epsom Oaks third The Lark, one of two runners for

Newmarket trainer Michael Bell, Seal of Approval, who completed a hat-trick of

wins in a 12-furlong Listed event at Newbury on August 4, and Lilly Langtry

Stakes third Alta Lilea.

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