7.50pm Doncaster Tips & Betting Preview 20/07/2017

 A big sixteen pounds covers the ten runners according to the official ratings in this 0-90 handicap that was won by the James Tate trained Brazos last season at odds of 8/1. Once again it looks highly competitive so why not read on for our horse by horse preview for the 7.50pm at Doncaster this evening.

IN SUMMARY: If there is a horse in this field with room for improvement then Jermey Noseda’s FIREFRIGHT is the one and he can win this on his way to bigger and better races in the years ahead. He seems well weighted and is already in good form this season and ought to prove too good for them on these terms.

1 FIRMDECISIONS – Top weight today for Dean Ivory’s seven-year-old gelding who has won seven of his forty-four starts and placed in eleven others. This year he has placed at Chelmsford and Kempton on the all-weather and Yarmouth on the turf but weakened quickly over this trip to finish seventeenth of nineteen at York beaten eight and a half lengths at the line. Left on the same rating here he did win off this mark at Newmarket in 2015 but won’t be getting any better with age now after so many contests and may struggle again carrying ten stone two, nine pounds more than he has ever carried to success before.

2 GHALIB – Trainer Amy Murphy is going through a quiet patch with just the one (losing) runner in the last two weeks and it seems unlikely the son of Lope De Vega will enhance those statistics. After finishing second to Shaiyem at Lingfield in May they tried cheekpieces over this course and distance last time out with little positive effect as he trailed home over nine lengths behind Burnt Sugar in eighth. Left on the same rating he has won off just a pound less at his peak but that was his last win in 2015 and others appeal more tonight.

3 EXPLAIN – One of two who won last time out in this field after he hacked up by five lengths over this trip at Chester at the end of June on going with a bit of cut in it. He has been put up eight pounds for that and has been pretty much forced to take a step up in class, but Ruth Carr is having a season to remember and continues among the winners with a 12% strike rate in the last fourteen days and she may well be able to improve that this evening.

4 FARLOW – Sammy Jo Bell rides the nine-year-old for Richard Fahey, though expecting improvement at his age may well be going a step too far. The yard aren’t at the top of their game with only 8% winners recently (eight winners from 102 attempts in the past fortnight), and the horse hasn’t won since 2015 (thirteen starts), and although he is coming down the weights slowly and has won off of much higher, he hasn’t even placed in nine starts and even this drop in class may not quite be enough to see him successful.

5 ATHASSEL – Yet to win in turf with all of his eight career victories on an all-weather surface but he has at least placed on grass with a third at Chepstow last time out over six furlongs when he ran on well despite looking as if he needed plenty of assistance from the saddle. His rating today of 80 leaves him requiring a career best to win here and as he seems better on the polytracks than the grass, he looks to have his work cut out to get involved.

6 SAKHEE’S RETURN – Three wins from twenty-two starts now with the latest of them in July 2015 over this trip at York off a rating six pounds higher than he has today. Trainer Tim Easterby is in peak form with ten winners from his last sixty-six attempts for a 15% strike rate and over 60 points of level stakes profit, and his supporters will be hoping he can add to that here and if he is at the top of his game then Sakhee’s Return is clearly well weighted. Last time out he put in his best effort for a while with a three and a quarter length fifth to Qeyaadah at Redcar and if he can build on that he won’t be far away.

7 ZAEEM – The likeable Ivan Furtado sends the eight-year-old here looking for win number seven as he celebrates his fiftieth start this evening. A tongue tie was added on the Kempton all-weather last time out but failed to have any positive effect as he finished last of eight to Alejandro and although dropped two pounds for that he will need to do a lot more if he wants to get involved at the business end here.

8 FIREFRIGHT – Heads up from the Newmarket stable of Jeremy Noseda with some decent form already this season to his name, and with a course and distance win in late April he has to be on any shortlist. Amazingly he was dropped two pounds for that maiden win and has since finished seventh at Epsom and more recently third at Sandown, two lengths adrift of Mojito when left with too much to do. Still only a youngster at the age of three and plenty of room for further improvement, stable ticking over nicely with a 14% strike rate.

9 TUKHOOM – North Yorkshire trainer Michael Herrington will be hoping for a big run from this four-year-old Acclamation gelding who was last seen here over course and distance when finishing a respectable four length seventh to Art Echo in a Class Four handicap on the first of this month. Dropped two pounds for that he does look quite well weighted now on that effort and although likely to be a big price could finish nearer first than last here.

10 REDGRAVE – Bottom weight for the Charlie Hills three-year-old who won his first race on only his fifth start in a Class Five handicap at Newmarket when holding off Trulee Scrumptious by a head. Although he has been put up an over the top seven pounds for that by the handicapper he may well be improving and with Silvestre de Sousa in the saddle who is riding out of his skin with a 19% strike rate in the last two weeks he could yet be the surprise package here.