General / Andrew Hughes / 19 March 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet View Market

The Festival may be over but there is no time for punters to rest on their laurels. Lingfield's Winter Derby meeting signals the imminent arrival of the flat season and to help you dispel any post-Cheltenham malaise. Andrew Hughes talks us through the pick of the weekend's betting action.

Where does your flat season begin? Officially it's next week's Lincoln meeting. Some don't take more than a passing interest until after Aintree. Others keep their powder dry until May. But for me, the real start of the flat turf happens down in leafy Surrey, in this little period of calm after the flurry of Cheltenham. The Winter Derby is one of my favourite races and rates the main attraction on Saturday's Lingfield card.

Tranquil Tiger sits at the head of the market for this Group Three contest and it is hard to argue, either with his form or his record over course and distance. His leading rivals appear to be Stotsfold and Soul City, but both are more likely to come on for the run. Fiery Lad has an eyecatching second to Mastercraftsman to his name, but is drawn out with the washing in stall thirteen, whilst Dalradian isn't quite in this class. French all-weather winner Pallodio is of some interest at [10.0] but Tranquil Tiger looks a solid proposition at [3.9]

The 3:00 Spring Cup for three-year-olds is about weighing up how much these young horses have improved during the off season. Derby entry Greyfriarschorista has been in impressive form on the all-weather of late and the question is whether any of the others emerging from a winter off can match him. The answer is probably no but if you do want to take on the favourite, perhaps Stargaze is the answer at around [18.0] He ran with credit against some top two-year-olds last year and is apparently now a much stronger horse.

In the 4:45 Hever Sprint Stakes, Jaconet will no doubt go off as favourite, after her impressive demolition of a field of decent sprinters in a Listed race here last month. But that was over six furlongs and she will find it harder to boss this field over the shorter distance. Arganil was beaten by Jaconet in that race, but has an excellent record over five furlongs on the all weather and at likely odds of [6.5] or better is a far more tempting proposition in a race where the pace is sure to be fierce from the outset.

Saturday also sees Uttoxeter's best card of the year, featuring the Midlands Grand National at 3:15. A number of these were entered up in anticipation of the usual quagmire, but the weather has not obliged and that means we can probably rule out a fair few in a race that is usually pretty competitive. Badgerlaw is one who will appreciate the better going. He finished second in this race in 2008, off a higher mark and this winter, has been campaigned over hurdles awaiting the drying ground. This could be his moment.

On Sunday, the Irish flat season kicks off at the Curragh and the 3:55 Park Express Stakes features one of Aidan O'Brien's outside Guineas hopes, Devoted To You. The Danehill Dancer filly chased home Lily Langtree in the Debutante Stakes when last seen and though currently as big as [40.0] in the antepost market for the Newmarket Classic, she should dispose of this field in which her only serious rival is the Ballydoyle second string, Lady Lupus.

Tags: aidan o'brien, lingfield park, spring cup, the currach, weekend betting briefing, Winter Derby