THE turf flat season commences at Doncaster with a typically competitive Lincoln Handicap with a maximum field of 22, which is a good start to the 2025 campaign.
In this year’s renewal I have selected the six-year-old Two Tempting, who had a remarkable 2024 and has plenty of experience, whilst Whip Cracker is a four-year-old having only his ninth career start.
In the last ten renewals there have been five four-year-olds who have won, with the age range in the other years covering a five, a six and a seven-year-old. There has been one winning favourite in 2019 with Auxerre.
This is a great way to start the flat turf season.
Enjoy whether at Doncaster or watching #athome on ITV Racing.
Cheers
The Wine Tipster
1:50 Doncaster – Spring Mile Handicap (1m)
One Night Thunder is from the same stable as the 2024 winner, Look Back Smiling, who lines up once again, yet the former looks more interesting. On the first start for the yard in November 2023, he finished a good fourth to Dashing Roger at Newmarket, but his subsequent run at Newcastle was disappointing, whilst he finished midfield in the Lincoln (marked up in my Unibet blog) when he was ridden aggressively at the front and could have run a good race with more patient tactics. A year’s absence suggests there’s been an issue, but he’s been gelded, the handicapper has given him a real chance, and if he’s back to something like his best, he has strong each way claims.
3:00 Doncaster – Doncaster Mile Stakes (Listed Race) (1m)
Botanical is a perfectly good start point when looking for the winner. He was only just touched off by Novus on his first start for George Boughey at Goodwood last autumn, and he returns after having had a break and wind surgery. It might be this trip is on the sharp side for him, but he’s got an obvious chance on form, and any dig in the ground is in his favour for this classy type.
3:35 Doncaster – Lincoln Heritage Handicap (1m)
Whip Cracker is a four-year-old who keeps finding something too good or has trouble in-running, but the ability to win a big handicap is not in doubt, having so far had one success on the all-weather. He shaped like the best horse in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton last time out in early March but could only finish fourth to Symbol Of Light, beaten a length and a quarter, when not having a smooth passage from a furlong out. Whip Cracker is having only his ninth career start in a race where big field experience often comes to the fore; however, if he copes with the hurly-burly and tactically, if this smart type gets a clear run, he has a solid chance.
Two Tempting (nap) was a place behind Whip Cracker at Wolverhampton on his first start for five months when looking good in himself. This six-year-old had a remarkable 2024 with four wins on the turf and one on the all-weather with his mark going from 82 to 99, during which he showed he had plenty of determination as well as the ability to run well in big fields. It is worth watching his penultimate start of 2024 when he won cosily at Chester after always being handy and travelling smoothly. Two Tempting will need to show he is at his best in this company on his first start at Doncaster and if so, he is more than capable of rewarding each way players at a minimum.
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