One week on and we’ll be looking closely at the William Hill Lincoln Handicap – the first big race of the new Flat turf season at Doncaster – and tomorrow we get a taster of what’s to come with a valuable eight-race Flat card at Lingfield, which brings down the curtain on the winter all-weather campaign.

While the £100,000 sportingbet.com Winter Derby is the highlight on the card, Hambleton trainer Kevin Ryan will have his eyes closely focussed on the previous £40,000 sportingbet.com Hever Sprint Stakes, a Listed race, in which he’ll be strongly represented by Green Manalishi and Arganil.

While the former, the mount of Paul Hanagan, is proven at this level, and is a course-and-distance winner, it is surely significant that Neil Callan, Ryan’s stable jockey, has chosen to partner stable-mate Arganil, who is my nap selection.

A much improved sprinter last year, after a long absence from the track, Arganil returned to action in a blaze of glory at Southwell last week when winning a handicap in smart style.

Stepping out of handicap company here will tell us an awful lot more about Arganil, but he does look an exciting prospect and, although tackling his toughest test to date, he is strongly fancied to come out on top.

Tomorrow is also a big day for Norton trainer Linda Stubbs, who saddles Five Star Junior in another Listed race, the sportingbet.com Spring Cup over seven furlongs.

The three-year-old, bought cheaply out of Simon Callaghan’s Newmarket stable last autumn, has proved a revelation since joining Stubbs’ North Yorkshire yard. He has won his last four starts in the style of a horse on a serious upward curve.

Like Arganil, he is now stepping from handicaps to Listed company. But, just like him, he merits serious consideration. Shane Kelly will be on board.

The Winter Derby has attracted a pretty formidable field, the pick of which may well be Re Barolo, trained by Marco Botti and the mount of John Egan.

A smart performer on this surface, the six-year-old underlined his well-being with a course and distance win last month in the Winter Derby Trial, beating, among others, Suits Me, who represents North Yorkshire trainer, Tom Tate.

Suits Me takes him on again and looks sure to go well, but Re Barolo is taken to confirm his superiority.

The promising Debussy (3.40) and Jesse James (5.25), both trained by John Gosden, are two others to note. At Newbury, where the best of the jumping action takes place, Oliver Sherwood could hold the key to the £50,000 Byrne Bros Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle Final.

A clever winner at Doncaster last time out, Argento Luna shows signs of temperament at times, but she is plainly a filly of marked ability and Sherwood has had this race in mind for her for some time. The trainer won the corresponding contest 12 months ago with Jaunty Flight.

The in-form Cava Bien (2.20) and the consistent Phardessa (2.50) are worth noting in the other two televised races.


Racing selections

Lingfield
1.35 New Star, 2.05 Arganil (NAP), 2.35 Five Star Junior, 3.05 Re Barolo, 3.40 Debussy, 4.15 War Of The Roses, 4.50 Thebes, 5.25 Jesse James.

Newbury (selected races)
2.20 Cava Bien, 2.50 Phardessa, 3.30 Argento Luna.

Tomorrow’s other meetings:
Bangor, Haydock, Stratford.

Today’s meetings:
Kelso, Lingfield, Newbury, Wolverhampton.