Saturday Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's best bets for the start of the flat season

15:32 Doncaster - Back Shout E/W @ 9/110.00

The flat is back!

This winter has seemed particularly long, with small-field uncompetitive contests becoming more the norm over jumps, but this is one of the most exciting weekends of the year in my view, with the Lincoln meeting at Doncaster sharing centre stage with top-class international action from Meydan.

The Lincoln itself has a typically competitive look to it, with La Botte going into just about every notebook following his eye-catching reappearance run at Wolverhampton last time.

However, that means he hasn't been missed in the market and I'm siding with Shout, who looked every inch a Lincoln prospect at the back-end of last season. Simon & Ed Crisford's charge was most progressive towards the end of the turf season, winning a good handicap at Ascot before performing with credit in the Balmoral there next time on his final start.

He possibly wasn't favoured by being ridden more handily there and seems best coming from off a good pace, something he looks sure to get here.

14:42 Kempton - Back El Burhan 4/15.00

While Shout is the only runner that catches my eye on a tricky Doncaster card, the ITV cameras are also covering the all-weather action from Kempton and a couple look of interest there.

George Boughey's El Burhan looks the one to be on in the Rosebery Handicap.

Progressive as a juvenile, he built on that with a reappearance win at Chester last season, while his Royal Ascot run is best ignored after a slow start, and he again met trouble in a tactical race next time.

Everything fell into place at Ayr when last seen, where he travelled strongly before quickening clear, a performance that suggests he's still very much on the up. A 6lb rise looks lenient for that performance and, with further improvement likely at this trip, he rates a strong contender on his all-weather debut.

15:13 Kempton - Back Sweet Princess E/W @ 25/126.00

Survie is a strong favourite for the Listed Snowdrop Stakes and current connections paid a small fortune to acquire her from France as a broodmare prospect.

As classy as she is (finished seventh in the 2024 Arc), all her best form is over further than this 1m and the feeling is she may find this test sharp enough on reappearance.

My eye is drawn to one who could be a massive price based on her pedigree and is still completely unexposed. Sweet Princess is bred to be a high-class filly, being by Sea The Stars out of a Roger Varian-trained Grade 1 winner in Canada, and she only made her debut in December, finishing third in a Wolverhampton novice that's worked out well.

She completed a simple task next time, getting off the mark in a three-runner contest at Newcastle in easy fashion.

Obviously, the bare form Sweet Princess has shown so far needs to be improved upon considerably if she's to be a genuine contender here, but she's bred to be at least this class and the market could well have underestimated her chance.

12:20 Meydan - Back World Record E/W @ 12/113.00

The Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan opens with the traditional Arabian race but it's the first thoroughbred race on the card, the Godolphin Mile, that looks ripe for the first bet of the day.

Favourite Commissioner King was most impressive when winning last time, but he did get things his own way in front that day and that's unlikely to be the case here, with plenty of other speed signed on.

I fancy his stablemate World Record to come from off the pace to run down the leaders late on.

Granted, he's hard to make a solid case for based on his debut for this yard last month, but he was entitled to need that after 148 days off and looks sure to strip fitter for the run.

The selection was placed at Grade 1 level in the US last season when trained by Rodolphe Brisset and it's worth noting he was also a Grade 2 winner as a three-year-old over there. What really catches my eye, though, is the booking of crack US rider Jose Ortiz, who could surely have ridden one or two others in this contest.

I'm expecting World Record to outrun his odds.

Dubai World Cup, 16:45, Meydan - Back Magnitude E/W @ 7/18.00

In the Dubai World Cup itself, it's very hard to look past the odds-on favourite Forever Young, who is one of the very best dirt horses in the world.

However, he underperformed in this last year on the back of a Saudi Cup win and he takes the same route once more in a bid to claim this race for the first time.

Now, he did have a hard race in last year's Saudi Cup and that may well have taken its toll, and it's worth noting he didn't have to dig as deep in this year's renewal.

Still, I think there's some mileage in trying to get him beat with Magnitude, and trainer Steve Asmussen knows what it takes to win this race..

Magnitude was progressive last season, rounding off his year with a Grade 2 win at Churchill Downs and he looked as good as ever when taking a Grade 3 on his comeback at Oaklawn last month.

Forever Young will be a tough nut to crack but it's hard to see Magnitude finishing out of the frame and he makes plenty of each-way appeal at 7/18.00.

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