MARK JOHNSTON yesterday announced that Double Trigger is on course to repeat last year's victory in the East Coast Doncaster Cup on September 12th.
The five-year-old, out of action since losing a shoe in the defeat by Classic Cliche in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, is joined in the entries by younger brother Double Eclipse.
Their trainer said: "Double Trigger will run if he is A-OK and ready to run and that is looking likely at the moment. But I have learned my lesson that if you have two horses capable of winning a race you should put them both in just in case - and Double Eclipse is a good reserve!"
"I don't want to run Double Eclipse over two miles or further before the Prix Royal-Oak in October but I am going to have to look at his programme and it is not impossible that he might run in the Doncaster Cup."
Also among entries published yesterday for the 2 1/4 mile Group Three event are Grey Shot, plus all bar one of his victims in the Goodwood Cup, and Northumberland Plate winner Celeric, who is a leading Tote-Ebor fancy.
. Jack Berry has decided on a change of tactics for Mind Games in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes at York a week today.
Jockey John Carroll will revert to the front-running policy which brought the horse successive victories in the Temple Stakes at Sandown, ditching the waiting tactics employed in defeat in the six-furlong July Cup at Newmarket last time.
"He was too far off the pace at Newmarket," Berry admitted. "That won't happen back over five furlongs at York he will be up with them and if anything gives him a lead they will be going too fast!"
"He didn't run badly at Newmarket as he looked quite good after 4 1/2 furlongs and didn't get the trip."
Berry is hoping that Mind Games can give him a first Group One success in the York race, for which he was sent off at odds-on last year only to finish sixth behind So Factual.
"He is so well now that it is unreal," the trainer said. "We missed the King George Stakes at Goodwood to get him back fresh and he is now raring to go.
"He looks a million dollars and I have never had him better."
