Horse Racing Tips: Pick Pirate to pillage Doncaster prize and three more bets on Saturday

• Rush to the Bar and side with Doyen

• Dascombe raider can create a Kelso Fuss

• Bet £10 Get £10 on racing multiples this weekend!

• Betfair are offering Non-Runner No Bet at Cheltenham! 

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Listen to this week's Racing...Only Bettor

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Kelso, 13:10 - Back Doyen Du Bar @ 9/25.50

 

Having been matched on the Betfair Exchange in-running at 1.51/2, 1.824/5, 2.3611/8 and 2.01/1 on four of his last five outings, Doyen Du Bar looks a fair back-to-lay vehicle here.

There were mitigating circumstances surrounding his latest reverse at Market Rasen as he tanked into the lead turning from home looking the winner only for the extended 2m5f trip to stretch him that day.

His two previous runs this term over the minimum trip have both been fine efforts with an impressive third at Newbury behind Ryan's Rocket on Coral Gold Cup arguably the pick of those performances.

Although 10 years of age, Nicky Richards' veteran is still extremely capable of running to a high level in decent handicaps and, with his form at this venue reading 321, he ought to be on the scene again in a race which looks like it might be run to suit this strong traveller.   

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Doncaster, 14:30 - Back Dartmoor Pirate each-way @ 7/18.00

 

A combination of a tongue strap and being reunited with Rex Dingle appears to be the catalyst in turning around the fortunes of Dartmoor Pirate who has been a revelation since the festive period.

A confidence boosting defeat of No Tackle at Lingfield before Christmas (form enhanced since) set the selection up well for a step up in class at Town Moor last month and he delivered in style, powering to a convincing victory in the Great Yorkshire Chase at the expense of New Order who reopposes here.

That was far from the perfect performance from Dartmoor Pirate as he won despite a modest round of jumping which saw him register just 5.7 (sixth best in the race) on the RaceiQ jump index metric.

Anthony Honeyball's gelding lost ground on his field jumping fences nine to fifteen and it was only at the last obstacles in the race that he actually gained on his rivals.

The fact he jumped the final two fences better than the previous seven and hit the line strongly recording the best finishing speed percentage of the race augurs well for today's step up in trip and a more polished round of fencing could see him defy a 5lb rise for his latest win.

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Kelso, 14:55 - Back Hot Fuss @ 15/28.50

 

Given the way the valuable handicap hurdle run earlier this month at Newbury won by Tutti Quanti panned out, connections of Hot Fuss might be relieved they swerved the Berkshire venue and stuck with their original plan to come here for this prize.

That Newbury event was arguably over as a contest after a couple of hurdles and Tom Dascombe's five-year-old was instead granted the opportunity to freshen up following a gruelling win at Windsor back in January.

That victory represented a career best for the selection who reversed Ascot form from earlier in the season with Wilful and he looked a lot happier gaining a lead that day by the Thames rather than being gunned from the start at he was at Sandown.

Hopefully, David Bass will again sit front rank without trying to make the running as, with 16 rivals in opposition, trying to make all may prove a tough ask.

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Kelso, 14.55 - Back Dedicated Hero @ 15/28.50

 

I was just going to keep it to one selection for this well-contested affair, but Dedicated Hero is an intriguing runner in the first-time cheekpieces so is worth a saver.

The seven-year-old's chasing campaign has been aborted following mixed results and he returns over hurdles to a track he adores where he is unbeaten in three starts.

Two bumper successes and a hurdles win confirm the Borders venue as his favourite and a handicap mark of 123 makes him an appealing prospect as he was far from disgraced behind Alexei in the Greatwood Hurdle last November off 129.

Trainer Sandy Thomson has sent out a couple of winners from a handful of runners in the last fortnight so Dedicated Hero is also worth supporting.  

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Scorcese can produce a blockbuster of a performance

It is the sixth weekend of Betfair's terrific "Bet £10 Get £10 on racing multiples" promotion and, with Cheltenham in close proximity, I'm going to have an each-way double focusing on a couple of the day's handicaps in a bid to build a pot.

It has been well documented that the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase, run on Trials Day at Cheltenham, can often be a source of future winners and that is already proving the case with a couple of those in the backwash already obliging. 

Scorcese (Newbury, 14.40) ran a blinder in the aforementioned event and still appeals as being well handicapped here of a perch of 122 less Harry Atkins' claim. He could make a bold bid from the front under a rider who steered him to success on his penultimate start. 

The second leg of the double is Analiese (Newbury, 16:23) who is thriving for the Rowley operation at present and could be another front-runner which may be difficult to catch. The forecast rain should aid her chance too.  

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