/ Timeform / 01 April 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Doncaster: The venue for the first big weekend of the Flat season
"John Gosden’s Taqleed is a strong favourite to give his trainer a second win in the race and he certainly fits the right profile..."
Timeform preview this weekend's racing...
Saturday is the first weekend of the Flat season and the day's best meeting is the one at Doncaster where the highlight is the Lincoln Handicap over the straight mile. John Gosden's Taqleed is a strong favourite to give his trainer a second win in the race and he certainly fits the right profile in that he is an unexposed four-year-old. The Barry Hills-trained Gunner Lindley has a similar profile and looks a danger at the foot of the weights, while among the more experienced brigade the likes of Prime Exhibit, Irish Heartbeat and Docofthebay are all capable of going well.
The card at Doncaster kicks off with the Lincoln consolation race, the Spring Mile, and it features several horses that were fancied for the main event itself, not least William Haggas' four-year-old Kalk Bay. The sprinters are also on show in the listed six-furlong Cammidge Trophy, in which the most interesting runner is Roger Charlton's Bated Breath, who looks to have the potential to go to the very top of the sprinting division this season.
The other Flat card of note on Saturday takes place at Kempton, where there are a couple of listed races on the card. The action starts at 14:20 with the Magnolia Stakes over ten furlongs. Last year's Lincoln winner Penitent sets the standard in the race, but his trainer William Haggas has another stronger contender with Shamali, while the fillies Pink Symphony and Bikini Babe also have the form to figure. The other listed event on the card is the one-mile Snowdrop Fillies' Stakes, which looks a good opportunity for Marco Botti's Mosqueras Romance to regain the winning thread after a luckless 2010.
In terms of handicaps at Kempton, the day's most valuable event is the historic Rosebery Handicap over 11 furlongs. This year's race looks a tightly knit affair, perhaps the most interesting runners being the lightly-raced four-year-olds Averroes and Lunar Victory.
National Hunt fixtures at Chepstow and Uttoxeter complete Saturday's racing in Britain while the day's only meeting in Ireland takes place over jumps at Gowran Park.
Sunday is the second day of the Lincoln meeting, and competitive handicaps are very much the theme. The day's other card in Britain takes place at Market Rasen, while in Ireland the pick of the action is at the Curragh, where St Nicholas Abbey returns to action in the Alleged Stakes. There is also a good jumps fixture set to take place at Limerick.
Timeform look back over the best of Saturday's racing......
Timeform look ahead to the weekend's best racing......
Understandably it's a somewhat quiet weekend after the frenzy of the Cheltenham Festival, but there are still some decent prizes on offer over jumps on Saturday, while Sunday signals the return of Flat racing to Ireland with the first meeting of the season at the Curragh......
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