NATIONAL Hunt racing takes a backseat this weekend as Doncaster hosts the traditional curtain raiser to the Flat season, the William Hill Lincoln Handicap (3.35pm).
Plenty has been said about current Lincoln favourite La Botte, who looked an unlucky loser in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer.
Harry Eustace’s contender could be the proverbial Group horse in a handicap, but he has plenty of weight to carry and I can pass him over.
There look to some good horses at big prices in here, and I think 50/1 with bet365 is huge for a horse of GREEK ORDER’s ability.
Michael Bell’s six-year-old hasn’t won since 2023 but ran some very good races last summer, including when a close-up fourth in the Royal Hunt Cup off a mark of 95.
That effort came after a break of 81 days, and if you look back further through his form, there’s plenty to suggest that he could be best caught fresh.
Running off 94, he’s now a pound below his Hunt Cup mark, and is versatile ground wise so will handle conditions whatever the weather does between now and Saturday.
I can’t pass him over at his price and he’s worth a small each-way play.
Another that I’m keen to side with in the same race is the Charlie Hills-trained GALERON.
This six-year-old travelled well into contention when finishing a good fifth in last year’s Lincoln off a mark of 102, and he is set to line up this year 12 pounds lower in the weights if you take Jack Callan’s five-pound claim into account.
He seems to run his best races at Doncaster, never finishing worse than fifth and placing three times from four starts there.
At 20/1, he’s another each-way fancy with the potential to outrun their odds.
Earlier on the card, MY MATE ALFIE looks an interesting proposition on his first run for David O’Meara in the Listed Cammidge Stakes (1.50pm).
Having previously been with Ger Lyons in Ireland, the son of Dark Angel changed hands for £250,000 in the autumn and has joined a trainer with a history of improving horses he gets from other yards.
My Mate Alfie goes well fresh, finishing a close-up second in two of his three seasonal reappearances, and can also handle soft ground.
A Group Three winner in Ireland in 2024, he also finished runner-up at that level last season, but the fact he didn’t get his head in front may count in his favour as it means he doesn’t have a penalty to carry here.
He’s joint top-rated with Spycatcher, but is double the price at 8/1, and that looks decent value each-way value.
Sometimes horses leap off the page, and that’s the case with DOCKLANDS in the Listed William Hill Doncaster Mile Stakes (3.00pm).
A 9/4 bet is much shorter than I usually recommend ante-post, but value is relative and as a true Group One performer in my book, Docklands should be a good deal shorter at this level.
He won the Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot last June and was last seen finishing an excellent fourth in the Group One Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin in December.
While he was narrowly beaten in Listed company on his reappearance last season, he is a better horse now and on ratings is four pounds clear of his rivals.
Against this opposition, he should take a good deal of beating.
POINTERS SATURDAY
My Mate Alfie e/w 1.50pm Doncaster
Docklands 3.00pm Doncaster
Galeron e/w 3.35pm Doncaster
Greek Order e/w 3.35pm Doncaster
#Long #shots #Order #day #Lincoln