Doncaster host their Great Yorkshire Chase meeting on Saturday, with eight races on the card.
The feature is a highly competitive handicap, and we’ve got three Grade Two contests, plus a Listed Race providing excellent support to the main event.
Three races are to be broadcast live on ITV, with the full meeting live on Sky Sports Racing.
Doncaster Racing Tips - Saturday January 27
Our expert racing tipsters Alan Kelly and Charlie McCann both have selections for Doncaster on Saturday, and both of them have their NAP of the day at this meeting, in different races.
Alan Kelly’s NAP of the Day
Sweet Will - 3:15pm Doncaster
Trainer Emmet Mullins has a tremendous record when sending one of his horses over to plunder a valuable handicap on this side of the Irish Sea and this shrewd handler could well have the answer to this £100k puzzle courtesy of the lightly-weighted Sweet Will.
Since joining Mullins from the Gavin Cromwell stable towards the back-end of last year, this four-time winning hurdler (once on this course last March off a mark of 126) has run well on both of his starts over fences and looks far from badly handicapped here with a chase rating of 122.
Badly hampered by a faller at the last when fourth in a Leopardstown handicap chase just after Christmas, Donagh Meyler’s mount looks to have been laid out for this race and is fancied to go very close. Kandoo Kid is one of many potential dangers, along with the dangerously handicapped Cap Du Nord, who is counting down to a win in this race after finishing third in 2022 and second 12 months ago.
Charlie McCann’s NAP of the Day
Welcom To Cartries - 2:40pm Doncaster
I hope it is a good day for Nicholls as I expect WELCOM TO CARTRIES will run a big race in the River Don stepping up to three miles for the first time. He looked in trouble at Ascot last time but put six lengths between himself and the runner up from the last over that 2m 6f trip and should relish the additional quarter mile.
He is unlikely to be over faced this term with his chasing career in mind, but this looks a moderate renewal of this G2 prize, and I would be surprised if he went to Cheltenham in March irrespective of what happens this afternoon. He would be Aintree bound if he were mine.
Esprit Du Potier is a favourite and the grey improved for the additional half-mile when scoring at Ayr last time having been a beaten odds-on favourite over the minimum trip on hurdles debut. He has a bit to prove stepping up to three miles but is an exciting long-term prospect.
More Doncaster Tips from Alan
Gala Marceau - 2:05pm Doncaster
Irish trainer Willie Mullins looks to have a stranglehold on the outcome of this Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle, with both Gala Marceau and Ashroe Diamond representing the Closutton handler.
The latter has been installed as the opening market leader at a best price 13/8. But preference is for the mare’s stablemate Gala Marceau, who is rated 3lb higher and arguably has the better form of the pair.
Esprit Du Portier - 2:40pm Doncaster
This Albert Bartlett trial looks a wide-open affair with no standout contender among the 10 runners. Destroytheevidence and Welcom To Cartries head the betting at around 3/1 but neither makes any great appeal at those odds (even money combined) and with 4 places available I would rather have an each-way interest in the Lucinda Russell-trained Esprit Du Potier.
More Doncaster Tips from Charlie
Kandoo Kid - 3:15pm Doncaster
KANDOO KID has finished runner up in three of his four starts so far this term and was a fortunate winner of the other. He has been raised 16lbs for those runs but this is his first start beyond two-and-a-half miles and that may prove the key to extracting the necessary improvement to defy a mark of 141.
Wiseguy - 3:50pm Doncaster
The form of WISEGUY’S Exeter win on chase debut has not worked out particularly well but he was well backed and jumped well.
He was caught out more by the soft ground rather than the 6lbs rise at Cheltenham last time and he can return to winning ways for Nicky Henderson having been dropped a pound since last time.
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