A Fifth Lincoln Win for William Haggas Is a Yankee Banker
Doncaster welcomes back flat racing on turf this Saturday. The opening race of the British flat racing season starts at 1.50 pm when 18 unraced two-year-olds will contest the popular Brocklesby Stakes. No public form – not alone recent form – makes this contest an intriguing race but a non-event from a punting perspective.
But one of our four fancies for a Saturday Yankee does run at the South Yorkshire venue. His name is Al Mubhir, a four-year-old that will line up in the famous Lincoln Handicap at 3.35 pm. The son of Frankel is trained in Newmarket by William Haggas, who must hold a soft spot for this contest, having won it four times in the past.
Andrea Atzeni has the ride on William Haggas’ Lincoln hotpot. ©GettyImages
Al Mubhir readily landed a mile handicap at Haydock when last seen in action in October. His impressive performance over 13 rivals came on heavy going. The apparent liking of a testing surface makes Andrea Atzeni’s lightly-raced mount a standout contestant on Saturday when soft-going is forecast.
Secret State to Take Switch in Stride
Charlie Appleby had a ridiculously good domestic flat season in 2022, and his 2023 all-weather campaign has yielded 12 winners from just 30 runners. At Kempton Park, on a card sponsored entirely by Unibet, Godolphin’s private trainer can better his already impressive strike rate.
Secret State represents the handler in the Listed Magnolia Stakes due off at 2.05 pm. Once thought to be a St Leger candidate, this impeccably-bred Royal Ascot winning horse has had wind surgery and been gelded since his last victory.
Making his first appearance on an all-weather track, Secret State is unlikely to be inconvenienced by a drop back in trip or the Polytrack surface. His class should see him prevail ahead of some seemingly exposed sorts.
Uxmal Can Give O’Brien His Max
Last Saturday, Joseph O’Brien trained two winners on the opening day of the Irish flat season. He landed a Listed race at Naas the following afternoon. While his jumpers are in indifferent form, O’Brien’s flat string appears in rude health. Therefore a trip to Bellewstown’s winner’s enclosure, with Uxmal following the 4.50 pm contest, looks very possible.
This four-year-old has clearly had issues and has raced just twice. But he showed plenty of promise on his most recent outing, finishing second in a heavy ground Navan Maiden. In a weaker-looking race, Uxmal should be difficult to beat albeit 14 rivals should serve to see horse racing betting sites forced into offering half-decent odds.
Can Emperor Be as Brave as Bold?
The fourth and final Yankee selection runs in the evening at Chelmsford in the Cardinal Stakes. This race is worth £100,000 and is the finale of the ‘European Road to the Kentucky Derby’ series. Success for Brave Emperor would see the horse earn his right to contest the 149th edition of the race that America calls “The Run for The Roses.”
No British horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby betting sites, but relatively few have contested the race. Bold Arrangement did finish second for Clive Brittain at huge odds in 1986. Brave Emperor has yet to book his ticket to Louisville. For him, victory on Saturday is vital– but it is entirely possible.
Some effort from Brave Emperor 🏇
A gutsy effort from the three-year-old who lands the £60,000 Road to the @KentuckyDerby Stakes under @Luke_Morris88 for @Archie_Watson & @MprUpdates @kemptonparkrace pic.twitter.com/gbG0WiI73D
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 15, 2023
Representing the relatively small Archie Watson stable, Brave Emperor landed a listed contest in France during February. He scored again when battling hard to beat the Gosden-trained Alzahir at Kempton Park two weeks ago.
That rival reopposes on Saturday evening, and with just a head between the pair at Kempton, the form could be reversed. But Brave Emperor has passed the post in front of all five all-weather races he has contested (demoted to second by the stewards once) and could still be improving. He is very tenacious.
Should Brave Emperor win on Saturday and his syndicate of owners opts to take their horse to Churchill Downs to contest America’s most famous race, the home defense is sure to be disapproving. The contender will arrive in Kentucky with no form beyond a mile and no form in Group races or Graded stakes. That scenario is unprecedented in recent times and explains why Kentucky Derby betting sites have this underdog priced at 150/1.
The Best Bets for Saturday
- Al Mubhir 3.35 pm Doncaster
- Secret State 2.05 pm Kempton
- Uxmal 4.50 pm Bellewstown
- Brave Emperor 7.00 pm Chelmsford
