'I can't wait to be reunited with the team' - Francesca Cumani raring to go ahead of ITV Racing return on Saturday

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This weekend's William Hill Lincoln not only signals the start of the core British Flat season but the return of ITV Racing presenter Francesca Cumani to our screens following her maternity leave.

Cumani has been off duty since British Champions Day at Ascot in October but has still been watching with interest from the sidelines after the birth of her third child in December. After missing the Cheltenham Festival, she is raring to go for the season opener.

"I was always planning to come back for the start of the Flat season and as much as I like being Mum, I'm looking forward to challenging my brain in a different way," says Cumani. "I can't wait to be reunited with the ITV Racing team at Doncaster on Saturday."

We may have had our minds on staying chases but the Flat season never truly stops and there has been plenty of international action already this year. Cumani is no stranger to the global racing scene, having first travelled horses for her father Luca Cumani before becoming a key part of Australian racing's TV coverage.

"I always try to keep an eye on what's happening in the rest of the world," says Cumani. "I loved the stories of the US-bred Kabirkhan, who has risen from obscurity in Kazakhstan to become a Dubai World Cup contender, and Annaf, who was bought for 16,000gns but has now won more than £1 million in prize-money after winning the Group 2 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia in February.

Annaf: winner of the Group 2 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia last monthCredit: Andrew Parker

"It's become really competitive. We're lucky in this country that we still produce many of the best horses and there's a real appetite to run them at these big global meetings. It's not surprising to see trainers targeting those races because the prize-money is so good."

Among those to have enjoyed success in the Middle East this year is Saffie Osborne, who became the first female to ride a winner in the 14-year history of Meydan aboard Ouzo, then 24 hours later won the Dukhan Sprint in Qatar on Emaraaty Ana for father Jamie.

"Saffie is young, personable and I think she could be an important ambassador for the sport," says Cumani. "It's important the public have names to follow and jockeys are probably our best asset in that regard. We've now got a void to fill without Frankie Dettori."

Dettori's farewell was undoubtedly the biggest story last season and one of the joys heading into this campaign is we do not yet know who will be the standout names. If the jumps season is all about the destination, then the Flat season is about the stops along the way, each of which provides an opportunity for a horse to make a name for themselves.

"It's interesting how quickly things change," says Cumani. "I remember first seeing Passenger at the Craven meeting in late April. Suddenly he's favourite for the Dante and was sent off at a short price for the Derby. Horses we didn't know existed can pop up and throw their hat in the ring for big races. That's where the Flat probably has a bit of an advantage over the jumps.

"There are so many highlights throughout the year. For the public, there's lots of spikes of interest around the big summer festivals, rather than building towards one major meeting."

With that in mind ahead of her ITV Racing return, Cumani is keen to accentuate the positives heading into the core Flat season and adds: "Racing has the ability to focus too much on the negative but that's not really helping itself. There's some responsibility for the sport to equally be positive and try to spread that message." 

Read these next:

ITV hails Cheltenham audience figures and urges the sport to recognise how popular the festival is with viewers 

Chazzesmee challenging for favouritism in bid for unprecedented Lincoln double at Doncaster on Saturday 

Confirmed runners and riders for Saturday's Lincoln at Doncaster 

The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, the reigning Racing Writer of the Year, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.