Don Kwesi to battle top weight, Neo Star

Outclassed by United States-bred WALL STREET TRADER in the Ash Wednesday Trophy at six and a half furlongs, DON KWESI returns for Saturday’s International Women’s Day feature but will have to defy a boggling topweight allotment against course-specialist NEO STAR at nine furlongs and 25 yards.

Running as a lightweight in the Ash Wednesday Trophy, allotted 114lb, not counting Demar Williams’ five-pound claim, DON KWESI placed third behind topweight WALL STREET TRADER, a grade-two winner, and OIL MACHINE, an overnight-allowance winner.

Returning at the same level this weekend, DON KWESI carries 126lb, a non-winner of an overnight allowance, giving weight to overnight-allowance winners, NEO STAR and RAINSVILLE, made worse by the scale being moved up by four pounds to ensure topweight requirement is met.

Though thrown into the lion’s den and stripped of what should have been his club, a weight advantage, DON KWESI faces a Herculean task but might just get away on account of youth and tactical speed.

Barrington Bernard inexplicably ditching claiming rider Demar Williams, whose five-pound claim would have come in handy, makes things even trickier against NEO STAR, whose handler, Anthony Nunes, has taken his runner’s 123lb down to 117lb by calling in hot lightweight claimer Tajay Suckoo to replace Javaniel Patterson.

NEO STAR ran a helluva race last time out, trying to slip United States-bred stablemate, down-in-class BARNABY, in the Lindy Delapenha Memorial at a mile, narrowly losing in 1:39.2 with 117lb.

Carrying the exact weight at his favourite trip, front-running NEO STAR, who won at the level in March 2025, beating MAHOGANY at seven and a half furlongs, could make DON KWESI pay for his handlers’ not calling in a claiming rider to help correct the ridiculous conditions, which have him carrying topweight.

It will certainly be a battle on the lead from the off. A relaxed NEO STAR will be a goner, leaving topweight DON KWESI no choice but to try chasing him off the lead. None of DON KWESI’s recent wins were achieved with topweight, but his cruising speed could nullify NEO STAR’s huge nine-pound advantage.

DON KWESI galloped seven furlongs in 1:29.1 on the round course last Saturday morning, suggesting he is up to the task, a tall but doable one should NEO STAR put a foot wrong.