Doncaster Horse Racing Tips for Thursday

Racing Post tipster James Hill is back to run us through his picks for the opening day of Doncaster’s St Leger Festival on Thursday.

Thursday’s Doncaster Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

13:50 Doncaster – Art Design @ 7/1
16:10 Doncaster – Promethean @ 5/1
17:15 Doncaster – Pellitory @ 4/1

13:50 Doncaster – Art Design @ 7/1

There are five juvenile races on the card and this is the first of them, a 6 1/2f nursery. 

The key formline is a nursery run at Newmarket last month. Art Design and Ghost Run finished third and fourth in that event and it’s a race which has been working out well, while the winner is well fancied for the Group 3 Dick Poole at Salisbury on Friday. 

Ghost Run gave Art Design 10lb on that occasion and is 6lb better off here, but it is the William Haggas-trained two-year-old that is the selection after stepping up on her Newmarket effort when winning at Southwell recently. 

That was an impressive performance coming from off the pace and this track will be suitable if similar tactics are applied. The extra half-furlong should be fine and she looks progressive.

16:10 Doncaster – Promethean @ 5/1

One of the most competitive races on the card is the 1m2f three-year-old handicap. Half the field consists of last-time-out winners, but it could be a colt that is yet to score who is the most interesting.

Promethean is 0-5 currently, but he came closest to getting off the mark when only beaten by a short head at Newmarket last month. It was a notable effort given he was hampered at the start before coming through to finish strongly, suggesting this step back up to 1m2f should be fine, while his pedigree shows that this longer distance is attainable. 

A line through the winner, Great Chieftain, from that Newmarket race suggests there’s little between Promethean and Blake, who tops the figures on RPRs, and off just a 2lb higher mark, the selection could be well treated.

17:15 Doncaster – Pellitory @ 4/1

The final nursery on the card is over a mile where Pellitory will be stepping up a furlong after getting off the mark at Yarmouth last month. 

The Gredleys’ progressive colt improved again when winning at the Norfolk circuit in a good time, and what was impressive was the fact he was up in the van all the way and still won despite pulling too hard.

The selection will need to settle a bit better here over this extra distance, but the track should suit being similar to Yarmouth and Sean D Bowen is taking off 3lb again.

The form of the Yarmouth race has been boosted already, with the second going in at Newcastle on Tuesday, while the seventh and 12th have both since finished placed at decent odds as well.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.