Paul Mulrennan, who teams-up with the Mick Easterby-trained Blue Spinnaker in Saturday's Lincoln Handicap, can stake an early claim to a Doncaster winner tomorrow by landing the opening spoils at the three-day meeting - just as he did 12 months ago.

Mulrennan, who is attached to Easterby's Sheriff Hutton yard, partners Dance To My Tune for his boss in the Northern Racing College Apprentice Handicap and will be bidding to emulate his success in the same contest last year aboard stablemate Middlethorpe.

Dance To My Tune proved admirably consistent last season and looks the ideal type to go well in this 12-furlong event, especially on the forecast good ground, which may become even easier if there is any further rainfall.

Mulrennan, who made great strides last season, would be one of the most experienced riders in tomorrow's field and his assistance has swayed me into making Dance To My Tune my nap selection.

The £30,000 Stanleybet Doncaster Mile is the opening-day highlight on Town Moor, and Autumn Glory is fancied to spring into action.

Geoff Wragg's talented five-year-old won the Spring Mile at this meeting last year and ended the campaign on an even higher note with Group 3 wins at Deauville and Newmarket.

Those successes give him a 5lb penalty tomorrow, which means he's got to concede weight all round, but this useful colt has the ability to succeed in any case, with regular rider Steve Drowne in the saddle.

The doncaster-racecourse.com Handicap over six furlongs provides Steel Blue, last year's winner, with the chance to produce an encore.

Richard Whitaker's sprinter had only four races last term, culminating in a good third in the Gosforth Park Cup at Newcastle in June. The fact that he has now recovered from whatever was ailing him in the second half of the campaign means he is a very fresh horse for his reappearance.

Tony Culhane has the task of steering him back to the winners' circle.

The Mind Games Bearstone Brocklesby Stakes has attracted a big field of juveniles and, unusually, several in the field have already gained previous experience.

Normally, Doncaster is the curtain-raising fixture for the new season, and, consequently, Brocklesby runners are all debutantes. But with this year's early Easter, the racing programme has been affected and Doncaster has been pushed back slightly.

The race remains a difficult one to solve, but Danjet, second to Phantom Whisper at Lingfield and a runaway winner at Warwick yesterday, looks sure to go well with vital experience under her belt.

Mark Johnston has made an excellent start to the season. The Middleham trainer followed-up his Musselburgh double on Sunday with another brace of winners at Pontefract yesterday.

Johnston saddles Tarraman in the Badsworth Maiden Stakes and Kevin Darley's mount makes plenty of appeal on the strength of his one and only juvenile outing, at York last October, when he finished second to Daring Ransom.

Thursday's tips:

Doncaster

1-50 Dance To My Tune (NAP), 2-20 Tarraman, 2-55 Danjet, 3-25 Steel Blue, 4-00 Autumn Glory, 4-30 Tawqeet, 5-00 Ticero

Lingfield

2-10 Dishdasha, 2-45 Cooleycall Star, 3-15 Quest On Air, 3-50 Law Maker, 4-20 Glendale, 4-50 Bulawayo

Tomorrow's other meeting is at Ludlow.

Updated: 09:42 Wednesday, March 30, 2005