Doncaster St Leger Day 3 Tips: Mark Milligan with four selections on Saturday

• Mark has gone through the Doncaster St Leger day card

• The best bet comes in the first

• He has a trio of selections in the other ITV races

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Illinois Superboost

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Illinois is the favourite to win today's feature race at Doncaster, the St Leger at 15:40. He is the highest-rated horse in the race and has never finished out of the frame in all seven of his career starts, including finishing first or second in all of his last four races.

Today the Betfair Sportsbook have super-boosted the price of Illinois to finish in the top two from 8/131.61 to 1/12.00. To take advantage of this superboost just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

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13:50 Doncaster - Back Chancellor

Chancellor created a big impression when winning at this track on his debut in July and looked a juvenile of some potential as he readily took care of that maiden field.

Sent off a short-priced favourite on the back of that, he proved something of a disappointment when third of five at Ascot on his next start, though didn't entirely get the rub of the green and still showed signs of inexperience.

However, John & Thady Gosden's colt quickly put that behind him with a winning return to Doncaster last time, resuming his progress in the style of one who looked a Group performer in the making.

Having clearly shown an affinity for the track, I'm expecting Chancellor to continue his progression with another win in this 7f Group 2 contest, for all the opposition demands a little more improvement from him.

14:25 Doncaster - Back Cover Up each-way

I've had Cover Up in mind for something like the Portland for a while now, as he shapes like the sort who should find the 5.5f trip right up his street.

Godolphin's four-year-old looked a real prospect when completing an all-weather hat-trick in February, but things haven't gone all his own way since switching to turf in more competitive surroundings.

However, he's shaped well when fifth on both his last two outings in ultra-competitive handicaps and looks the sort who could well be best let loose over this sort of trip (was held up last time having been a little awkwardly away).

I'm hoping he breaks a bit better this time and gets back to the sort of form we saw from him in the winter, which I think is a distinct possibility given how he's shaped of late.

As you'd expect, this is a wide-open affair, so let's take advantage of the five places available on the Sportsbook with a small each-way bet.

15:00 Doncaster - Back Lead Artist

It's probably fair to say that the Gosden stable has had a disappointing season by their own high standards, but I'm expecting them to have a strong end to the year and Lead Artist could well prove an autumn flag-bearer for the yard.

This well-bred son of Dubawi looked a potential top-notcher when winning on just his second start at York in the spring before proving a little disappointing stepped up to listed company on his next start.

However, he was right back on song in a Group 3 at Goodwood last time, making all and showing a bright turn of foot from the front to win in most taking fashion.

With a previous winner of this contest Kinross in the line-up, this will likely demand a bit more from Lead Artist, but he's very much on an upward curve while his main rival has to prove he's still as good as once was at the age of seven.

15:35 Doncaster - Back Illinois

This year's St Leger has a slightly substandard look to it and Aidan O'Brien holds a typically strong hand in what is the final Classic of the domestic season.

While the unbeaten Jan Brueghel is open to more improvement, he still looks something of a work in progress and I'm siding with stablemate Illinois, who's proven over the trip and ran really well when second to Los Angeles in the Great Voltigeur at York last time.

Those with long memories will recall I fancied Illinois back in the spring when he finished third in the Ballysax, and he seems to have thrived for getting over longer trips, showing plenty of stamina when taking the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot in the summer.

While Aidan O'Brien will probably never beat John Scott's record of 16 winners in the race set way back in the 1800s, he's still taken the contest seven times himself and there's every chance he can make that eight with Illinois.

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