Doncaster Betting Tips: James Boyle's best bets for Saturday

Horse racing tips today:

• 13:20 Doncaster – Knight – 1pt @ 11/4 with William Hill
• 14:25 Doncaster – Arthur’s Realm – 1pt e/w @ 10/1 with Unibet
• 15:00 Doncaster – Orazio – 1pt @ 10/3 with Bet365
• 15:35 Doncaster – Liberty Lane – 1pt @ 4/1 with BetVictor

For today's horse racing tips, our analyst James Boyle looks at the flat racing meeting at Doncaster with four selections online.

As always, you’ll find up-to-date odds at the bookmakers, but our tipster’s predictions are researched early in the day and those prices could soon be moved in by the betting public. 

Odds stated are correct at the time of publishing, but check out today's racecards for all the latest movements. 

13:20 Doncaster – Knight – 1pt @ 11/4

It’s hard to know where the majority of the horses running on this card are at from a fitness point of view and the very testing underfoot conditions add in another tricky element. There are a few mudlarks in the opening Listed Doncaster Mile and the one I’m liking the most is Knight.

He was undefeated in two juvenile runs, including a Group 3 success on heavy ground at Newbury, but the early part of his three year old campaign did not go to plan. He bombed out in the Greenham on his return and then was gelded a couple of months later, eventually reappearing in August.

A solid fourth at Glorious Goodwood was built upon in the Celebration Mile when second to Angel Bleu and he was over a length ahead of today’s rival Charyn. A narrow second at Sandown followed, then he finished the season poorly at Newmarket when over-racing at a longer trip than usual.

I think this looks like the perfect assignment for him. He’s better than a Listed level performer when at his best, he’ll love the ground and the nature of Doncaster should be favourable. A visor is on for the first time and if it has a positive effect, he’s going to be in there pitching late on.

14:25 Doncaster – Arthur’s Realm – 1pt e/w @ 10/1

Arthur’s Realm won a weak renewal of this race two years ago but I don’t see today’s contest as being a whole pile better. It’s a glorified 0-85 and following a disappointing 2023, Ed Dunlop’s charge has come down from a mark of 90 to 82, and he’s better than that on his day.

His run in this last year wasn’t too bad, finishing seventh of 22, and those up front weren’t exactly stopping. The lack of a recent run to get him ready is a minor worry, as he usually wants a spin to bring his level up, but maybe with the mark he has now they’ve decided to change the plan.

Doncaster definitely suits him well, especially when there’s cut underfoot, and he also has a close third over C&D from a mark of 91 on his record. If his fitness is where it needs to be and he gets into a nice rhythm under Rossa Ryan, who was on board for his win here, he can be involved again.

15:00 Doncaster – Orazio – 1pt @ 10/3

Orazio was very promising in the early part of last season, winning a handicap at the Craven meeting off 89 before following up at Ascot in May from 4lbs higher. Both performances were impressive but the latter marked him down as having Group-class potential going forward.

He ended up being favourite for the Wokingham and the Stewards’ Cup, running a good race on the first occasion before flopping at Goodwood, then was the joint-favourite for the Ayr Gold Cup and ran reasonably well but couldn’t see it out after travelling typically strongly.

Connections gelded him afterwards, which may help to regain his previously progressive ways, and I think he remains a horse to follow this season. He would be getting weight from his main rivals were this a handicap but won’t mind conditions and has more upside than them.

15:35 Doncaster – Liberty Lane – 1pt @ 4/1

Zero prizes for originality in siding with Liberty Lane but he’s a very talented handicapper who has the scope to progress into something better. His form is a bit all over the place but Karl Burke was trying to get him to stretch out to longer trips than this and he kept racing along too freely.

It held him back but when he dropped to a mile at Newmarket in July, he hinted at more being to come and duly backed that up with a game success over C&D. He rallied to beat a talented rival there and went through the race a lot more evenly than had often been the case before.

His run in the Cambridgeshire was awful but came on faster ground and was just a couple of weeks after his exertions here. He has been gelded since, has physical scope to do better as a four year old and gets the conditions I reckon he needs to be at his very best over a mile.

Breeding would suggest he should be staying much further, with his dam being a 1m 6f winner at this track, but for now a mile at Doncaster on testing ground in a handicap is his optimal scenario. Going well fresh hasn’t been a problem before and hopefully won’t be now either.

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