Sunday Horse Racing Tips: Mark Milligan with three to back at Doncaster

15:30 Doncaster - Back Epictetus @ 5/16.00

While Sunday's Doncaster card doesn't have the same class as Saturday's, but it lacks nothing in competitiveness, with several tricky-looking handicaps to unravel.

The first one I'm interested in is Epictetus in this 15-runner 7f contest.

Jamie Osborne's six-year-old isn't the force of old (Group 3 winner when trained by John & Thady Gosden) but has become dangerously well handicapped nowadays and confirmed he's in good heart with a recent runner-up finish at Chelmsford.

That was his first try over 7f since winning on debut at Newmarket as a juvenile and he seemed to find the trip very much to his liking, sticking to the task well and going down by only a neck to a progressive Archie Watson runner.

In a competitive affair, Epictetus makes plenty of appeal.

16:05 Doncaster - Back Port Of London @ 11/43.75

One who is still in the care of John & Thady Gosden is the Godolphin-owned Port Of London, and it could well be significant that his high-profile connections have decided to keep him in training as a four-year-old.

He's bred to be much better than a handicapper but didn't set the world alight in his three-year-old season, taking three runs before getting off the mark.

The selection then looked awkward on his first handicap start and the decision was taken to geld him and put him away for 12 weeks before he returned with a winning effort at Kempton when last seen. Although he had the run of the race that day, he looked much more straightforward and managed to win with a little bit up his sleeve from a mark of 82.

He's up 6lb for that, but there's no reason why that should prove his limit bearing in mind his classy pedigree, and I'd be surprised if he's not contesting some of the better quality handicaps come the summer.

16:40 Doncaster - Back Morbeh @ 7/42.75

Another runner bred to be better than a handicapper is Roger Varian's Morbeh and he's a strong fancy in the following race.

While he didn't pull up any trees in three starts as a juvenile, he proved a completely different proposition when winning on handicap debut at Lingfield in January. Upped in trip, he always travelled well on the way to a comfortable success from one who has proven consistent throughout the winter.

Granted, the bare form of that success is nothing special and more will be required here, but it's worth bearing in mind Morbeh's pedigree with a view to him potentially being better than a 71-rated handicapper in time.

By Dubawi out of a Group 2-winning mare, there's every chance that Morbeh can leave his current rating behind if he continues to go the right way.

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