Saturday racing tips: Best bets and odds for Doncaster Lincoln

Saturday racing tips

The Flat is back with the Lincoln meeting at Doncaster and I’ve got five to follow for Saturday’s racing tips, including an each-way contender in part 1 of the spring double.

Doncaster tips: Saturday Lincoln meeting

Spycatcher can retain Cammidge Trophy

A field of 12 goes to post for this Listed sprint, with the winners of the 2024 renewal, Montassib and last year’s race, SPYCATCHER both back for more and it’s the latter who earns the vote.

Admittedly, William Haggas has had his recent runners performing closer to their optimum than Karl Burke’s string has but we’re back on turf now and the latter can often be a strong starter himself.

Spycatcher won the race in the absence of Montassib a year ago, as the Haggas-trained runner was away from the track from October 2024 until last September. He faced a stiffish task in the Champions Sprint at Ascot last October and was then beaten almost five lengths by Spycatcher over C&D (heavy) at the November meeting.

That win now means that the selection has to concede 5lb to his chief rival but there are still reasons to think there’s a good chance of that. He acts on the forecast good to soft ground, he goes well when fresh and his two C&D successes read well in terms of his penchant for this track. At his price on betting sites at the time of writing, he looks an each-way bet to nothing, with a decent chance that he’ll win it again.

Spycatcher (13.50, Doncaster) – 1pt each-way @ 4/1 (BOYLE Sports)

Empirestateofmind has the potential to hit the right key in Spring Mile

A typically open renewal of this traditional early season cavalry charge. Several will fancy their chances and there should be plenty of pace on this straight mile, with an interesting runner from a high draw being EMPIRESTATEOFMIND.

He’s a big price, on account of a couple of lesser efforts at the back end of last season. However, his strike rate is reasonably good, he acts on good ground or slower and this is his optimum trip.

He’s back on the mark from which he won an Ayr handicap last summer and, with the Quinn yard’s runners in decent nick, he could run a big race at a big price. He looks a small stakes each-way play. Try to get five places on horse racing betting sites if you can.

Empirestateofmind (14.25, Doncaster) – 0.5pts each-way @ 33/1 (bet365)

Docklands can deliver in Doncaster Mile Stakes

A quality field of just five line-up and the pick of them is DOCKLANDS on both official ratings. He also looks the pick in terms of his form profile, dropping back in grade to Listed level here, having dined at the top table in Group 1 company on his last six starts.

He was good enough to win the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, and he has run with great credit in three others. He finished behind the reopposing Qirat when Ralph Beckett’s runner produced that famous shock success in the Sussex Stakes last July but overall, his profile is, as the ratings suggests, superior.

They race off level weights and although he’s yet to win after a break, he has gone very close more than once and I don’t think his efforts when fresh are a great concern. He looks capable of picking up this first prize of over £34,000 and getting 2026 off to a flyer.

Docklands (14.57, Doncaster) – 3pts win @ 7/4 (BetfredLadbrokes)

Greek Order a tasty each-way option in the Lincoln

Only one favourite has obliged in the last decade in this traditional first leg of the spring double, while half of the ten winners in that period carried double figure SPs.

William Haggas and Charlie Appleby have both trained two of those ten successful runners, while three of the last four winners have come from a single figure draw. I have a huge amount of respect for the Haggas-trained Eternal Force, who is towards the head of the market on betting apps and tries to complete a protracted four-timer here. He still looks well treated and comes out of stall six, so a big run looks on the cards.

However, at a sporting price and drawn lowest of all, GREEK ORDER is back on a handy mark himself. Although exposed, he’s proven over the trip, has run well when fresh on several occasions and he acts on any ground, so conditions on the slow side won’t be a problem.

He sees out further than this, which with the pace on here will be no bad thing, while he represents an in-form trainer in Michael Bell. I think he’s probably overpriced and I’ll be having an each-way play to as many places as I can find. If the first-time visor works the oracle, then he could be bang there at the business end.

Greek Order (15.32, Doncaster) – 1pt each-way @ 16/1 (William Hill)

Uttoxeter tips

Masters Legacy can end a three-year drought at Uttoxeter

An open-looking handicap chase where several come into it having won last time out, and all four of them are respected in siding against them with MASTERS LEGACY.

Trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, the 11-year-old can’t have been the easiest to train, given the gaps between his appearances on the track at times. He’s had wind surgery on three occasions and when you consider that, it’s easy to see why there’s an inconsistency about his CV.

Having said that, at his best, he’d be a shoo-in from this mark of 114 and he wouldn’t need to be at that level to win this. He sees out three miles well, acts on good ground or slower and his return from nearly a year off saw him finish fourth in an Ascot handicap chase last November, form which looks good in the context of this race.

It’s fair to say he ran a stinker at Hereford around three weeks later and perhaps that race came too soon for him. His record shows that he can (although not always) go well when fresh and he’s been given 108 days off since that latest run, which could pay dividends.

A further 4lb drop won’t do any harm and with headgear on for the first-time, he may prove good enough to end a drought of over three years. I certainly think if he’s anything like that Ascot run in terms of performance, he looks likely to be in the shake-up and he can be backed each-way.

Free horse racing bets

Each Saturday, Virgin Bet run a money-back offer relating to one of the races being shown on ITV Racing that day. This week, that race is the 14.08 at Kempton.

If you decide to have a wager on that race at Kempton and your selection doesn’t win, you’ll receive your stake back in free bets.

There’s no need to opt in to the offer, just place a wager on the race and if your selection doesn’t win, you’ll receive a free bet refund, up to a maximum of £10.

Only the win part of any each-way bets will be credited back to Virgin Bet punters.

Responsible gambling

If you plan to have a bet on the racing, make sure to gamble responsibly.

It’s vital that bettors take steps to remain in control of their time and budget when using gambling sites. The same applies whether you’re using the betting sites UK, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable racing punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino bonuses you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

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