TURF RACING returns after another week of mostly monotonous all-weather fixtures and run-of-the-mill jumps cards.  Once again we’re at Doncaster where the season began with the Lincoln last Saturday.  This week we see an interesting mix of maidens, handicaps and conditions races at Town Moor.  The fifth race on the card is a competitive little sprint handicap featuring a number of old favourites who will spend most of the year beating and getting beaten by each other plus a few likely improvers.  This latter comment could refer to Rod Millman’s highly tried Masai Moon.  A consistent performer in these sorts of handicaps last year he was unfortunate enough continually to run into above-average animals.  Despite this he still managed to win twice, including on the forecast going.  His penultimate run of last season saw him finish fourth in the hot Newmarket handicap that produced Lincoln co-favourite Vitznau along with some winners on the all-weather this winter.  If he has progressed from three to four he could well go close off a lightish weight.  This weekend also sees the world’s richest race day with the Dubai World Cup meeting reaching its conclusion at Nad Al Sheba.  The crowning event on the card is the $6 million Dubai World Cup but the race before that, the Dubai Sheema Classic, is a much more entertaining prospect.  It includes many of last seasons top performers such as Arc second Youmzain, Hong Kong Vase winner Doctor Dino, Hong Kong Champion Viva Pataca, multiple Grade One winner Better Talk Now and German Horse of the Year Quijano.  The six-year-old son of Acatenango ran some admirable races last season and took away Germany’s big race, the Grosser Preis Von Baden, for good measure.  He was an unlucky second to Doctor Dino in Hong Kong late last year before returning to be a satisfactory fifth on his first start for three months.  A tough horse that doesn’t know when he’s beaten could well land the spoils in this event.

Selections – 4.10 Doncaster, 13 Masai Moon