Doncaster Racecourse: Preview and tips for Saturday’s seven-race card including the Grimthorpe Chase

Racing kicks off on Saturday at 1.30pm with a 12-runner maiden hurdle, the Grimthorpe itself is at 3.15pm and the action comes to a close at 5.07pm with a class four handicap hurdle.

Read below to discover the latest tips and a full preview of Doncaster’s card on Saturday courtesy of Racing TV, who offer the latest Cheltenham free bets offers ahead of the Festival this month.

The opening contest on the card sees a field of 12 take on the class three maiden hurdle over two and a half miles (1.30). Queensbury Boy looks the way to go in the opener for trainer Harry Derham, a £130,000 purchase after winning an Irish point to point before going on to score on rules debut in a Bumper at Chepstow and is the clear class of this field for a yard that is really starting to tick.

Race two on the card is the Listed mares’ novices’ hurdle which offers a nice £22,780 to the winner (2.05). That could well be World Of Fortunes, somewhat found out in Graded company on her last two starts but this is a more suitable test and is taken to regain the winning form ahead of Dameofthecotswolds, back to her best when second in a Listed hurdle contest at Warwick three weeks ago.

Nine runners will head to the start for the class two handicap chase over two miles (2.40) and it looks a wide open contest. Brookie, trained by Antony Honeyball, could run well at a big price here - a bit out of his depth last time out in the Wayward Lad at Kempton over Christmas but held some solid form prior to that and in calmer waters here, may well be worth chancing.

The feature race of the day is the Grimthorpe Chase at 3.15, with a cool £36,421 on offer to the winner of the 14-runner field that will take on the three mile and two furlong contest. The Ben Pauling-trained Twig likes this time of year (five of his seven wins have come between March and July in his career) and if he can reproduce anywhere near like the form shown when second in the Ultima at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, he will have every chance. White Rhino rates at the next best in here for trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerreiro, a winner of two handicap chases this season.

A class two handicap hurdle marks race five on the Doncaster card (3.55) and Pretending for the Lucy Wadham yard looks the way to go, a winner on seasonal reappearance at Uttoxeter and is tackling three miles for the first time here, while the penultimate race of the day (4.31) can go the way of St Just In Time for the Harry Derham team, who showed plenty of ability in maiden hurdles last year and is in the hands of a trainer who knows how to place new recruits like this one.

Finally, the card comes to a close with the class four handicap hurdle over the two mile trip (5.07) with preference in the finale heading the way of Norn Iron, again for the Derham team, who looks well weighted here having started with promise for his new yards with runner up efforts in both starts so is taken to go one better here and get that first win.

Doncaster selections - Saturday

1.30 - Queensbury Boy

2.05 - World Of Fortunes

2.40 - Brookie

3.15 - Twig

3.55 - Pretending

4.31 - St Just In Time

5.07 - Norn Iron