Blue Spinnaker, winner of the Thirsk Hunt Cup and the Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar last season, can add another major Yorkshire prize to his scoresheet at Doncaster tomorrow by bagging the £100,000 Stanleybet Lincoln Handicap.

In his long and successful career as a trainer, Mick Easterby has never won this one-mile cavalry charge, but Blue Spinnaker, the mount of stable apprentice Paul Mulrennan, has excellent prospects of breaking his Lincoln duck and makes plenty of appeal at 16-1.

Bought cheaply by Easterby after being in training in France as a two-year-old, Blue Spinnaker has proved a bargain buy. Winner of four races, he has also filled the frame on numerous occasions and is as consistent as he is talented.

His final start last season was in the Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket, in which he was beaten less than two lengths into fourth place by the winner Spanish Don.

Drawn 11 tomorrow, which is bang in the middle of the field, Mulrennan will have the choice of switching left or right after the start of a race in which the field will surely split into two groups.

Dangers among the 22-strong field are plentiful. The well-supported New Seeker, trained at Lambourn by Clive Cox and the mount of Sheriff Hutton jockey Kevin Darley, looks sure to go well. A high-class three-year-old two seasons ago, he was slightly below-par last term, but his form on the gallops this spring, and since being gelded, has been nothing short of impressive.

Sir Michael Stoute has booked York jockey Robert Winston to partner Stream Of Gold, and this useful performer is another with excellent prospects, along with St Petersburg, a York winner last autumn, who finished second in the Spring Mile at this meeting 12 months ago.

But Blue Spinnaker will do for me. Tough and durable, he is no stranger to the hurly-burly of major handicaps and with Paul Mulrennan, who knows him so well, in the saddle, he is napped to do the business for Mick Easterby.

The £30,000 Stanleybet Cammidge Trophy is the main supporting race, and Smokin Beau is fancied to give a good account of himself in the hands of Kieren Fallon.

The eight-year-old bounced back in tremendous form last season and will be all the better for a recent all-weather pipe-opener. Underfoot conditions are ideal for him and a bold bid is anticipated.

Lochbuie (2.10), trained by Geoff Wragg, who sent out Autumn Glory to win on the course yesterday, and last autumn's York winner Mafaheem (5.30), from the in-form Mark Johnston stable, are also worth noting on Town Moor.

Channel 4 cameras, focussed principally on Doncaster, will also be taking in the main action from Newbury's jumping fixture, where Diamond Sal can strike it rich.

Howard Johnson's smart mare came good in pleasing style at Musselburgh last time and looks sure to go well in the £50,000 EBF Mares' Only Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final.

Graham Lee, who has decided to bid for his second Grand National triumph at Aintree next Saturday aboard Amberleigh House, takes the mount.

The hat-trick seeking Red Devil Robert (2.25) and recent winner Silvergino (4.10) are also worthy of consideration at the Berkshire track.

Tomorrow's Tips

Doncaster

2.10 Lochbuie; 2.45 Smokin Beau; 3.20 Blue Spinnaker (NAP); 3.55 Diamonds And Dust; 4.30 Gee Four; 5.00 Hewaraat; 5-30 Mafaheem.

Newbury

1.55 Son Of Greek Myth; 2.25 Red Devil Robert; 3.00 Tanikos; 3.35 Diamond Sal; 4.10 Silvergino; 4.45 Briareus; 5.15 Calin Royal.

Tomorrow's other meeting are at Kempton, Bangor-On-Dee and Wolverhampton.

Updated: 10:21 Friday, April 01, 2005