Flat racing returns to the turf in Britain on Saturday and the £150,000 Lincoln at Doncaster is the feature race of the day.
There are eight races scheduled to be live on ITV, with five of those coming from Doncaster and three on the all-weather at Kempton.
Our expert has picked out three strong fancies to follow across the ITV coverage with trainer Edward Bethell expected to have an excellent day with two big wins at Doncaster.
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Saturday’s horse racing tips
1.50 Doncaster – Naepoint
NAEPOINT represents the Ed Bethell yard and he’s definitely a trainer on the up. This horse was a very progressive three-year-old, especially towards the end of the season, and it’s therefore easy to be confident of further improvement this term.
It doesn’t matter how fast or slow the ground conditions are, as he won his last two starts of 2024 on good to firm and soft. That kind of versatility will certainly come in handy and it adds another big tick next to his name.
The son of Blue Point’s last success came over a straight mile at Redcar in October, also winning over the same course and distance before that, and those experiences will stand him in good stead for this test.
It’s easy to make the case that he would have been a major contender had he got into the Lincoln but the fact that he’s in the consolation race instead makes him very hard to oppose. Clearly this is a step up in grade but he looks more than ready for it.
3.00 Doncaster – Botanical
George Boughey runs BOTANICAL here and the five-year-old came very close to a first success at Listed level over 1m2f at Goodwood back in September. One of two runners for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum in the race, he’s the least exposed of the pair.
Most of his best form has come over trips at around 1m2f but the drop in trip shouldn’t be a problem, having won a Hamilton novice impressively over 1m½f as a three-year-old.
He won well at York on seasonal debut last term and hopefully he’ll be plenty sharp enough for this excursion.
That aforementioned York success came by a very comfortable margin of three lengths in what seemed like a thoroughly competitive handicap. Second off 107 in the John Smith’s Cup at the same track two months later, he certainly looks like a Listed performer.
3.35 Doncaster – Old Cock
Another one for trainer Edward Bethell, OLD COCK could be one to watch in the big race of the day. He was a progressive handicapper last term and although he’ll need to step up once again here, his profile suggests he may well do so.
This gelded son of Calyx won three times in five starts last season and is surely still unexposed. Old Cock won a competitive handicap over a mile at Haydock in August, despite carrying his head awkwardly in the closing stages.
The only slight concern is the ground, as he was a little below-par on good to soft at York last time out, but he’s still learning and it’s easy to forgive that effort so it could be worth giving him a chance here.
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