IT IS the start of the flat turf season heralded by the meeting at Doncaster and of course the famous Lincoln Handicap over the straight mile, but there are also some good cards at Kempton Park on the all-weather surface and at Newbury over the sticks to get stuck into.

Let’s go to South Yorkshire first of all and my best play of the day comes in the big race itself at 3.10 in the form of the nicely weighted and progressive DANYAH (nap).

This Owen Burrows-charge did nothing but improve through his second season in training with two wins and a brace of thirds to his name.

In fact you could argue that his best run possibly came in defeat when third behind Hortzador at Ripon over the round mile, when he was stopped in his tracks a couple of times inside the three furlong marker yet was still only beaten under two lengths.

The best bet of the day followed that defeat with a resounding length and half success over Alternative Fact at Haydock Park on good ground and a 5lbs penalty for that run seems very fair to me in the circumstances.

The other plus is that he is nicely drawn in stall 16 here and there seems to be plenty of pace on for the high numbers with the likelihood being that Dashing Roger will probably set a decent clip nearest to the stands’ side rails.

The consolation race for the Lincoln Handicap, the Spring Mile at 2.35, looks as good a renewal of this race as we have seen since its inception with the top-weight Dubai Souq set to run off a handicap mark of 95.

The one I like is the Ralph Beckett-trained MASCAT (nb) who was very consistent last year, but didn’t have his ideal ground towards the end of the campaign.

With only nine runs under his belt, this unexposed four-year-old has quite obviously not been easy to train and that has been further enforced by the ending of any possible career at stud with the cruellest cut.

Judged by his latest runs during 2020 though I didn’t really detect any negative traits to his running style with arguably his best performance coming when keeping on really takingly when three parts of a length off the potentially smart Brentford Hope at Haydock Park in October. I have upgraded that run as the winner is quite obviously a proven mud lark and the selection is definitely no one-trick “going” pony.

The cream on the cake is that the handicapper has dropped him a pound to 89 for his last run which to be fair to the horse was his seventh outing of the season and his second successive on deep ground and can easily be forgiven.

Of his rivals, I have the most regard for course and distance winner Artistic Rifles, very much suited by the drying conditions.

The historic opening big sprint of the season, the Cammidge Trophy (3.45), sees that grand old campaigner, Brando, a fair way clear on the official ratings. His record first time out is more than adequate, but he has been more difficult to get fit for the last two seasons and at around 2/1 makes no appeal as a win play.

So we are going to go for an each-way call on the Charlie Hills-charge ROYAL COMMANDO who remains open to significant improvement at the age of four with just nine runs under his belt.

This time last season he opened his campaign with a cracking four and a quarter lengths fourth to subsequent Royal Ascot winner Golden Horde after which he failed to sparkle on two runs at seven furlongs, simply not seeing out the trip.

First time up may well be the time to catch him and his middle draw from box No 6 means that Kieran Shoemark will be able to hide him in the pack and get him into a lovely rhythm through the first half of the race.

There are some valuable prizes up for grabs at Kempton Park on the sand and the best bet at the Sunbury-On-Thames track could well come in the form of MASTER THE STARS at an each-way price in the Roseberry Handicap at 2.15.

The Ed Dunlop-trained runner had a lovely warm up for this prize when a solid third behind Assimilation over the course and distance and that should have put this lightly raced son of Sea The Stars spot on for this event.

He probably requires a career best effort to even go close here with the likes of Al Zaraqaan and Dark Pine in opposition, but he was always going to make up into a better four-year-old with time to strengthen up and anything in the region of 8/1 looks well worth an each-way investment.

It is more than worth mentioning the Newbury meeting with some interesting prizes up for grabs.

Several of the lightly raced mares in the big Mares Final at 3.25 are almost certainly still hiding their true ability under a bushel and the likes of Rose of Arcadia, Paris Dixie and Kilmington Rose could readily out fox the assessor in this valuable final.

But on a galloping track and decent ground over two-and-a-half miles, the Nicky Henderson first string, LILLY PEDLAR, looks something to bet on with the racing stars now finally aligned for her.

The daughter of Yeats has looked a shade short of pace over two miles on a sharp track on heavy ground (Taunton) when simply outpaced behind Allavina and simply ran way too freely at Wincanton two outings back again on deep winter ground.

I think that the handicapper has been rather lenient in letting her reside on a mark of 118 (1lbs lower than at the Somerset track), and with a fast pace assured, Nico should be able to get her to relax into the contest with the long run home most definitely in her favour.

Finally, under the lights at Wolverhampton, have a second look at both TAJDID (5.30) and SPUROFTHEMOMENT at 7.00.

The first named is still very lightly raced, but I am sure we haven’t seen the best of him. He certainly looked in need of much further after running on nicely over seven furlongs at Lingfield Park and can defy top-weight here before going on to much better things.