Doncaster St Leger Festival Day One Tips Cheat Sheet: Best bets and insight for Thursday

• Expert insight for Day 1 of Doncaster St Leger Festival

• Tips from Daryl Carter, Mark Milligan, Alan Dudman and more

• Ryan Moore's exclusive insight on his rides at Doncaster

• Insight, tips and analysis for Thursday's action

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Betfair tipsters recommend their best bets and insight for Doncaster's St Leger Festival Day One...

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13:50 Doncaster - Mark Milligan says: Art Design makes plenty of appeal

Mark Milligan: "Art Design has some solid juvenile handicap form to her name and is fancied to get us off to a flyer in the 6.5f fillies' nursery that opens the St Leger Festival.

"The William Haggas-trained daughter of No Nay Never took a few runs to figure things out, though that's not surprising given plenty of the stable's two-year-olds have looked a bit green/backward this season, but she's really started to put it together of late and won a similar contest to this last time."

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14:25 Doncaster - Daryl Carter says: Back Hallasan to play big role

Daryl Carter: "He was guilty of over-racing two starts back at Nottingham behind the smart Mr Lightside, but he did well to finish second to that bright prospect. The third beat Arizona Blaze at York, and the fifth won at the Goodwood festival before being touched off a neck at York by Yes I'm Mali (eighth). Regardless of his official rating, he doesn't have much to find on collateral form lines and he is improving - on the figures at least.

"A son of the yards Pinatubo, the Godolphin outfit will have him right for this, and providing he learns to settle, he can play a significant role with more to come over this distance and further. Back him at 8/1 or bigger."

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15:00 Doncaster - Mark Milligan says: Desert Flower is bet of the day

Mark Milligan: "The 1m Group 2 May Hill Stakes provides us with the strongest bet of the day in the shape of the hugely exciting Desert Flower. Charlie Appleby's unbeaten filly has created a big impression on both starts to date and is rightly towards the head of the betting for next year's 1000 Guineas.

"She opened her account at the first time of asking on the Newmarket July course, taking a maiden in fine style, with the form given a boost by two of those in the frame winning next time. She was even more impressive back there next time, spreadeagling a novice field by the best part of seven lengths, quickening clear from over a furlong out."

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15:35 Doncaster - Ryan Moore says: Grateful can give good account

Ryan Moore: "Won the G3 Stanerra Stakes at Fairyhouse on her first try at 1m6f and had the Ebot winner, Magical Zoe, back in third that day. She wasn't beaten far in the Lillie Langtry and stayed on well after the leaders just quicken away from her. This will be my first time riding her on the track, but she looks relatively unexposed and should give a good account of herself in a very open race."

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16:10 Doncaster - Daryl Carter says: Harper's Ferry is well worth chancing

Daryl Carter: "Ed Walker's Harper's Ferry - 4/1 on the Betfair Sportsbook - looks well worth chancing. He is here following an 83-day absence after a below-par run in the Group 2 King Edward, although one could argue he outran his odds for three-quarters of the race. He has now been gelded and returns to the track, dropped into a handicap for the first time from what looks like a workable mark of 93.

"While he has a little to prove after his underwhelming finishing effort at Royal Ascot, he did shape like a promising horse for much of the race and travelled better than all but the winner, who is an outstanding Group 1 horse. Unless something was a miss, he looked a blatant non-stayer over that 1m4f trip, so the move back to ten furlongs can only be seen as a positive."

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16:40 Doncaster - Katie Midwinter says: Yaroogh should be forgiven

William Haggas-trained Yaroogh should be forgiven for a disappointing effort in Group Three company when last seen, and can bounce back now dropped in class. He sets the standard with two wins to his name, including a maiden victory when a length clear of subsequent Superlative Stakes second, Seagulls Eleven, now rated 105.

He struggled over 5f when sent off at 10/111.00 on debut, but showed plenty of improvement on his following start in soft ground at Haydock, before recording back-to-back wins on his follow up at Kempton.

On the form of his victories, he sets the standard in this field and show significant improvement on slower ground here. A son of Dubawi, the colt is out of 7f winner Lawahed, a half-sister to Group Two winner Quddwah.

There is enough class in his pedigree to suggest he could improve beyond an opening mark of 90, and given he has won on soft in the past, the forecast rain shouldn't hinder him. The yard are in good form currently, as is jockey Tom Marquand, and they can team up to land the victory with this promising colt in this 7f contest.

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