Kevin O’Malley’s ITV Racing Tips on Day 1 of the St Leger Festival

The St Leger Festival kicks off on Wednesday and top tipster Kevin O’Malley provides his best bets at Doncaster on Day 1, with the feature action set to be shown live on ITV Racing. 

Ataser at the double for TJ Kent

TJ Kent is a trainer on the rise and his smart juvenile Ataser was well-backed to win at York last time and justified the support with a cosy win under 5lb claiming apprentice Ray Dawson. The horse is up 7lb in the handicap now and has more weight to carry today, but he’s a straightforward and progressive colt who should give another solid account of himself in the 1:40pm nursery handicap. 

Moss Gill to show his ability down in class

Moss Gill ran a great race in the Nunthorpe, finishing 3rd behind Battaash and fending off the attentions of some quality performers in behind. James Bethell’s charge gets the chance to land a nice prize in the 2:10 at Doncaster on Wednesday and he looks to be the class act in the field. A strong travelling sort, he’s good on the clock and has conditions firmly in his favour today.

Hannon’s Dragon set to Fly!

Richard Hannon’s Flying Dragon is a consistent performer who was unlucky not to score when just failing to get up over a mile at Salisbury last time out. He’ll need to get the splits in-running given his running style, but looks well poised to pounce today under Pat Dobbs. This is a really competitive race, but Flying Dragon has the right blend of experience and form coming into the race to be considered a serious player. 

Spirits to strike for the 3yo fillies in Sceptre test

Cloak Of Spirits faces some older fillies today but Richard Hannon’s talented inmate drops back to 7f today, which will help her finish off her race a bit stronger than we’ve seen recently. She has a lot of quality and just needs the right race to shine. This Group 3 contest at 3:15 looks to be it. Jubiloso and Mubtasimah are the horses to beat, while Foxtrot Lady could outrun fair odds under Dettori.