Doncaster best bets: Turing targets frame finish as The Crafty Mole digs out hat-trick win
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While Epsom Derby understandably takes top billing this week, race-goers can also kickstart their Classic weekend at a more leisurely pace by enjoying a decent Friday evening card at Doncaster.
20:15 Doncaster: Hits Radio Fighting Cancer With WPCC Handicap (1 mile 4 furlongs)
There’s plenty in with a shout of landing this 1½-mile handicap, and with barely half a betting point covering the three early market leaders, the jury is clearly out as to where the prize money will be heading.
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Of those, Monsieur Melee and Sir Galahad clearly boast the required credentials, with the latter in particular looking much improved when picking his way through the pack to finish second of eight in first-time blinkers six weeks ago at Kempton.
Just getting the nod ahead of them, however, is The Crafty Mole, whose two recent wins at Wetherby and Redcar have played their part in David O’Meara’s successful start to the 2024 campaign.
This is a step up in distance from those two successes, and he will have to do it with a penal six pounds to lug around, but with usual winning Mark Winn bringing his useful three-pound claim back to the saddle, this gelding should still have enough in the locker to defy both the handicapper and his nine rivals.
Best bet: The Crafty Mole in the 20:15 at Doncaster
Should any or all of the three principals falter, there are some interesting prospects ready to fill their spots in the frame, and one that might just be lurking beneath the radar is top-weight Turing.
Winless in four all-weather attempts for Andrew Balding over the winter, this gelding has recently come under the protective wing of Jack Jones, and now returns from a four-month break to make his first turf appearance.
With so many unknowns on what is effectively a season, turf and stable debut, this is very much a shot in the dark, which is only furthered by the booking of inexperienced claimer, Levi Bedford.
However, his seven-pound claim brings Turing’s mark down eleven pounds on his previous outing, which could be a telling factor in what is a much lower-grade handicap (0-68) than that last effort at Lingfield in January (0-85).
Each-way punt: Turing in the 20:15 at Doncaster
- Tip advised by Big Priced Winners on Tipstrr