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Thursday Doncaster top racing tip: Dublin Four set to progress in ideal conditions

After Wednesday's second place at Leopardstown, Tipstrr racing expert Steve Jones is hoping to go one better with his best bet of the day from Thursday afternoon's Doncaster racecard.

We supported Dublin Four at 9/1 (backed in to 4/1) when he ran in the Sir Peter O'Sullevan Memorial Handicap at Newbury a month ago, and he is worth supporting again under today's similar conditions..

Over what was a slightly shorter trip, Dublin Four was held up well off the pace, as is his preferred style, before gradually moving into the race down the long home straight.

Approaching the third-last, he was creeping smoothly into contention without being asked any sort of questions before a mistake saw him plough into that fence, halting his momentum completely and putting him out of the race.

A month prior to that run, Dublin Four had made his seasonal debut, again over a shorter trip on good-to-soft ground at Wetherby.

14:40 (Doncaster) Dublin Four

Given that he hadn't raced for 168 days and was contesting an even stronger Grade 3 handicap, it was a big performance for him to finish a never-nearer second of seven behind Into Overdrive, who subsequently won the Grade 3 Rowland Meyrick Handicap for us at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

Dublin Four finished within four lengths of Into Overdrive, who is rated higher than anything he faces today, but he made up a lot of late ground to come from sixth place approaching the penultimate fence into second place near the line, strongly suggesting that he will improve over today's longer trip against lower-grade company.

Dublin Four has progressed again since joining Fergal O'Brien just over a year ago, winning twice for his new yard last season, both times in Class 3 company round galloping, left-handed tracks on good ground.
His career record when contesting Class 3 handicaps over fences on better than soft ground around galloping left-handed tracks is 2111, so he should relish Doncaster's conditions.
Kielan Woods (four winners from ten O'Brien rides over fences this season) knows Dublin Four better than anyone and has partnered him to two of his three chasing wins.
Woods is here for just this one ride and, under this set of conditions, another big performance from Dublin Four is on the cards as connections try to gain some compensation for last month's unfortunate defeat at Newbury.
Of the others, Storm Control could well be a big player now he is five pounds lower against less demanding company than when finishing second of sixteen in the Listed Sky Bet Handicap over this same trip back in January.
He hasn't troubled the principals in his two outings so far this season, although he went very well from the front for a long way in a Grade 3 at Cheltenham last month, before dropping away from the second-last.
This looks easier with more suitable conditions, and he could be working his way back into winning form again, especially if the new headgear combination does the job.

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