SPRING DOUBLE TO BEGIN WITH CHARM SCHOOL

We have the start of the flat season at Doncaster this weekend with Lincoln the main feature on Saturday’s card.
For the older generation of punters it starts the annual ‘Spring Double’ which also brings the Grand National into play in a few weeks time. As my oul’ da says, if you get the Spring Double it pays for your year of gambling.
Let’s get straight to the first leg of the double, the Lincoln, where John Gosden has a good hand to play on Saturday and one of his horses EXPRESSO STAR has been the subject of an ante-post gamble and is as low as 5/1 from 12s. But it’s another Gosden horse that catches our eye in the race.
CHARM SCHOOL won on his debut at Doncaster a year ago, scooting home by seven lengths, and then in his next three outings ran creditably in higher grade races, finishing third in his last start at Donnie behind Invincible Force. We think he will be a big player come Saturday. Way back in early February we posted the following information here after we spoke to a little birdy.
“The PG received a tit-bit of information from a well-known source and we feel obliged to pass it on to our fellow bloggers.
“The Michael Hills-trained SLUGGER O'TOOLE has been tipped in several training quarters for the William Hill Lincoln over the last week and, if rumours are true, the horse is about to move to a new trainer in the coming week and his odds are supposed to halve when this happens. He is as big as 40/1. Worth a fiver? I think so!”
Slugger O’Toole has sinced moved stables so the information up to now has been spot-on and he has also halved in price. Checking out his form also makes for good reading with a course and distance win to his name. Expect a big race from Slugger on Saturday. As we go to type this needs five horses to come out before he’s guaranteed a run, if not then he will run in the Spring Mile on Saturday .
We also have World Cup day in the mega-rich Dubai and we have picked a few out for Saturday evening. In the World Cup itself we have gone for the jolly Albertus Maximus (9/4) who will take some stopping and the each way choice is Happy Boy who looks to be the each-way value at 25s.
On to the Sheema Classic and Mick Channon’s YOUMAZIN (5/1) gets the nod in this one while PACO BOY (9/2) could continue Richard Hannon’s good run in the Dubai Duty Free.
We have opted for American speedster Big City Man (13/2) in the Golden Shaheen Sprint and we end with Two Step Salsa in the Golden Mile. Hopefully a winner or town in there to put a spring in your step.

April Giveaway:
In the next month we will be giving away bets at Aintree and Punchestown courtesy of Sean Graham and we have also teamed up with Punchestown Racecourse to give away tickets to their festival at the end of April. Go online at our blog at www.thepun tersguide.blogspot.com/ through April, it could just pay off.
DOWNPATRICK WINNERS:
Carvery winner: Jimmy Thompson.
Runner-up, tickets: Damien O’Neill.
That Downpatrick comp was one of the biggest we ever had over 300 entries!