Our form expert has tipped 5/1, 15/2, 10/1 and 40/1 winners this month and he has three selections for the ITV action at Doncaster as Flat racing returns on Saturday.
The Verdict: Saturday March 28
1pt win Mitbaahy in the 13:50 Doncaster at 16/1 (General)
1pt e.w. Far From Dandy in the 14:25 Doncaster at 14/1 (William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5, 12/1 General)
1pt e.w. Botanical in the 15:32 Doncaster at 14/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
Burke to plant his mark on the Lincoln
The curtain goes up for the Flat turf season at Doncaster on Saturday and fitness is going to be key on rain-softened ground with a light westerly headwind blowing in down Town Moor.
It’s no wonder La Botte has found his way to favouritism in the feature William Hill Lincoln, as he had an eye-catching prep run for a yard who target the early weeks of the turf season and he’s got big field and straight course form in his locker, too, after his Britannia second at Royal Ascot.
He’s short at 4/1 in a race of this nature, however, and the cut in the ground is a slight question mark, as well, so I’d rather have an each-way bet on BOTANICAL on his first start for Karl Burke.
Burke has won two Cambridgeshires with the top weight in these colours thanks to Liberty Lane and Boiling Point, so he’s very good at identifying the right handicaps for these Group-class horses, and this looks a good fit for Botanical.
He was a keen-going sort for both Roger Varian and George Boughey, but he’s another in these silks on the verge of Group-race quality and he was rated 110 at the start of the last campaign when he ran on this card in third behind Dancing Gemini in the Doncaster Mile Stakes.
Keen again that day in the nine-runner field, that was only his third go at a mile in his career and he has consistently shaped like a big-field handicap with a strong gallop to aim at over this distance will be perfect for him. Indeed, this test could be just what he needs to show his best.
His past trainers were perfectly adept at getting him ready at home – he bolted up in a York handicap after 228 days off for Varian – and we know how good Burke is on that score.
Running here off a reduced mark of 104, with no worries over the ground, I like that he’s proven over further and he rates a good each-way bet for his new yard (Burke is eight from 28 at 28.57% with his recruits from other yards in the last five years).
The Verdict: Back BOTANICAL in the 15.32 Doncaster
Dandy looks fine in Spring Mile
In the consolation race, the William Hill Epic Boosts Spring Mile, it’s interesting that Stephen Thorne is bringing FAR FROM DANDY over from his County Dublin base and here is a horse with proven fitness on his side.
Presumably he was being aimed at the Lincoln itself only to miss out by two, so it looks significant he’s still making the trip across for half the pot and Thorne has booked Colin Keane, in South Yorkshire to ride Qirat, for the assignment.
The four-year-old is hard fit from being campaigned over the winter at Dundalk, where he won twice in November and December, while he carried his form over to the Irish Lincolnshire where he stayed on for fourth at the Curragh a fortnight ago.
He did well to get as close as he did, as he was shuffled back from an inside draw and had to drift left to find space to challenge, so it was a really good run in the circumstances.
Here he looks in a good spot on the far side on this straight track with pace to aim at, and with no worries over ground or fitness he looks set to go well for a fledgling trainer who has already established a reputation for targeting the early weeks of the season over in Ireland.
The Verdict: Back FAR FROM DANDY in the 14.25 Doncaster
Run for the Hills in the Cammidge
Finally, I’m taking a chance on Charlie Hills’ MITBAAHY off a long absence in the Listed William Hill Price Boosts Every Day Cammidge Trophy Stakes over six furlongs.
The previous two winners of this race, Montassib and Spycatcher, dominate the betting, but the former kept on getting outpaced over this trip last season and the latter has to saddle a penalty, so we could get a new name on the trophy.
Mitbaahy hasn’t been seen for 419 days (and has had just one run in the last 623), but Hills is well capable of readying a good horse off a long break – his Cicero’s Gift won a Sandown handicap off 107 after 382 days off – and this yard specialises with sprinters.
He often has an eye on this race, too, just like his late father, Barry, who won it three times, and while Hills junior hasn’t been quite as prolific, his Cammidge form figures read a very respectable 6-3-1-4-3-2.
Mitbaahy has all the tools to thrive in this contest; he’s a Group 2 winner, classy on his day, goes well fresh, handles cut in the ground and he has plenty of straight track form.
His hold-up style can serve him well on this course, too, with Jamie Spencer just the man for the job, and thanks to his time off he looks to have been seriously underestimated in the market.
The Verdict: Back MITBAAHY in the 13.50 Doncaster
Preview posted at 15:20 GMT on 27/03/26
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