BEST OF THE REST (SATURDAY)

The St Leger understandably dominates the headlines this Saturday, but there are plenty of betting opportunities to be found away from the terrestrial television coverage.

While much of the attention will be focused on the feature races from Doncaster, Racing Daily pundit Rory Paddock goes around the courses in search of some alternative selections from elsewhere on a busy afternoon and evening of Saturday racing.

With picks from Bath, Doncaster, Musselburgh and Lingfield, here are Rory's 'Best Of The Rest'.

13:20 BATH

Arundel returned from almost a year on the sidelines with an encouraging third just under a fortnight ago and there's every reason to believe he can build on that performance.

He should strip fitter for having that recent outing under his belt, while the drop in grade is another obvious positive. The step up in trip also looks likely to suit and he has one of the more experienced amateur riders in the saddle.

With fitness, grade and distance all potentially working in his favour, plenty points towards a big performance and he looks capable of returning to winning ways.

ARUNDEL (WIN)

16:48 DONCASTER

The step up to a mile and a half didn't appear to suit Tony Montana, who finished last of nine despite attracting significant market support on his latest appearance.

He's never been the most prolific performer, but there are reasons to expect considerably better back at Doncaster. Conditions should be more suitable and the booking of promising young rider Toby Moore also catches the eye, with his 7lb claim taking some valuable weight off the six-year-old's back.

This is clearly a competitive handicap and Tony Montana will need to leave his latest effort well behind, but his price should compensate for those risks and he looks capable of getting involved.

Touch The Moon, Tawajjah and Night Breeze are others worthy of consideration and should feature on any punter's shortlist.

TONY MONTANA (E/W)

17:20 MUSSELBURGH

It may be one of the more obvious selections of the day, but it's difficult to look beyond Karl Burke's handicap debutant Royal Strike.

He's improved with each of his three career starts and produced his best performance yet when runner-up on his latest appearance. That effort suggested a first victory wasn't far away and his opening handicap mark looks fair enough.

Further progress can be expected as he gains more experience and this looks a good opportunity for him to go one better and finally shed his maiden tag.

Course-and-distance winner Needin' U and Grant Tuer's Lexington Boom look the most likely to follow the selection home.

ROYAL STRIKE (WIN)

18:17 LINGFIELD

Mart has attracted plenty of market support on several occasions this season without managing to live up to expectations, but he's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore from his falling handicap mark.

He disappointed over five furlongs here last time, but the return to six furlongs looks a sensible move by connections. He's already a proven course-and-distance winner and is now operating from a very attractive mark compared with his previous best.

Clearly he comes with risks given his recent form, but conditions look much more suitable this time and this could be the opportunity for him to finally take advantage of his reduced rating.

The consistent pair Kyoto and Iconic Dawn look the biggest threats to the selection.

MART (E/W)

19:20 MUSSELBURGH

Backing a 21-race maiden is rarely the most appealing proposition from a punting perspective, but a chance is taken on Fear And Fast to finally make that long-awaited trip to the winner's enclosure.

One of his better performances came when finishing runner-up over this course and distance on softer ground, so any significant rain at Musselburgh would be firmly in his favour.

The booking of Sam James is another positive, while Fear And Fast represents the shrewd Jim Goldie yard and should therefore command more respect than his lengthy losing record might initially suggest.

Perhaps most interestingly, he returns following a wind operation. If that procedure can unlock even a small amount of improvement, his previous course-and-distance effort suggests he's capable of getting involved.

He's certainly not one to approach with maximum confidence, but at the likely odds there are enough positives to make him an interesting each-way proposition.

FEAR AND FAST (E/W) written by Rory Paddock