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The 2025 Lincoln Handicap

Ian_Davies

Ian_Davies

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May 7, 2023
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Hampshire
Fans of the Flat (and Totopoly) will be pleased the entries are out.

I like both codes equally, but I'm starting to study the field with interest.
 
Not only do I still have my Totopoly in a storage box in the garage but I also got an original version of Escalado for my 60th birthday. It's still in the original cellophane wrapping in my wardrobe!
 
Reckon Fast Socety is teed up tomorrpw (6.30W) to ganer a penalty for Donny,so I've taken 25/1 for that race.
Improving will stay and act on soft.
 
I would be interested in Orne off 97 in this if he is a confirmed entry on Monday.

I think this former Heavy-ground Horris Hill winner isn't the one-dimensional sprinter that some might have pegged him as.

I do like a 4yo in this and the yard have previous in this race.

25/1 or 30 win only on the machine to small money currently, but I need to know he's running - no more Heltenhams! 😂
 
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Won't be betting in this but it's usually a good form race obviously. In terms of the flat and this is off topic cos Ian hasn't put the race up yet :) but my Guineas fancy has shortened in the betting after a glowing report from the Ballydoyle master in his first stable tour on ATR.
 
These Big Race threads have had such a mixed reception here I've hesitated to put more of them up.

I'd love to create threads for the Classics and other big Pattern races (including over Jumps) but I've been confining myself to Big Race Handicaps so far.

I've had an affinity with the Lincoln ever since my Dad got a tip at work for Captain's Wings in 1978.

The race was on the round course that year after mounting complaints about the High numbers draw bias on the straight course, but the switch simply resulted in low numbers becoming equally dominant - Captains Wings beat Yamadori a head - so the race reverted to the straight course and they started manipulating the ground to try to make it fairer with distinctly-mixed results.

Cataldi, the Lincoln Handicap snip of all time, was my biggest ever winner in the race and it's hard to believe 16/1 was freely available ante-post (and he started 10/1 on the day on Town Moor) about the 1984 Champion Stakes pacemaker for Raft who set a scorching pace, didn't fold and kept on for a close-up fourth yet had his mark left alone by the hapless and subsequently embarrassed assessor.

Easiest Lincoln winner you will ever see:
 
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Yamadori - the horse that stopped the moment he got to the front . Lester took over for the Spring Cup and he nearly got caught again - scandalously then demoted after winning the Victoria Cup for giving Private Lines and Edward Hide a slight nudge.
 
Similarly, my dad had Double Cream at something like 35/1 and had it in the double with Specify (which the whole family backed - one of THE great family Nationals) so the Lincoln has been one of my favourite races down the years.

Two years later, I backed Bronze Hill at 50/1 and was told when I went to collect my money that I was the only person in the shop (which served quite an area) to have backed it. I remember approaching the desk with a measure of trepidation in case they asked me to prove my age as I was only 17 at the time.

I also backed Cataldi and I think I might even have had a letter in the Handicap Book in advance of the race explaining why it was a stone cold cert.

It has been a grand race for me down the years and had the four successive winners in Addeybb to Johan, plus Secret Brief a couple of years before that.
 
Early 1990, I was madly in love with an ex girlfriend. Racing then was a bit of a back seat passenger. I do remember it was the first winter ( 89 ) of all weather racing on fibresand. Evichstar was a horse I backed a few times then with K Fallon up. He humped 10st on a couple off occasions.
Morning of the Lincoln me + the ex went shopping in Leeds whilst she was looking for new shoes, I said I'm popping next door to the bookies for a bet.
I looked at the Lincoln field + saw Evichstar lurking at the bottom of the page carrying 7st 10, with Alan Munro up. I thought christ fit from this new all weather lark he'll think he's running loose with this feather weight 🤣🤣.. Had a couple of quid ew at 40s. Nice win in them days. I think he made all + never looked like being caught. Didn't know it had won, till we got home that evening.
 
The five-day confirmations are tomorrow but, although I'm looking forward to them and I have great historical affinity with the meeting and Doncaster generally (my Dad worked there and would let me bunk off school to go racing while he was at work occasionally) I'm actually looking forward to Kempton Park on the AW more.

Queen's Prize, Rosebery and those two 3yo races over 1m have a whiff of the old Salisbury Guineas trials about them in my book - Notable Speech won the one that's not for fillies last year.
 
Ian_Davies said:
The five-day confirmations are tomorrow but, although I'm looking forward to them and I have great historical affinity with the meeting and Doncaster generally (my Dad worked there and would let me bunk off school to go racing while he was at work occasionally) I'm actually looking forward to Kempton Park on the AW more.

Queen's Prize, Rosebery and those two 3yo races over 1m have a whiff of the old Salisbury Guineas trials about them in my book - Notable Speech won the one that's not for fillies last year.
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I have a similar affinity with Doncaster, my Dad took me there as a youngster too. I recall annoying John Rickman, the old ITV commentator, as we (not including my Dad) were running around him when he was trying to broadcast. Also recall a powerful bull of a black horse, called Sica Dan, who seemed to run whenever I was there.

I always look forward to the puzzle of the Lincoln and at the moment have my eye on Whip Cracker and Toimy Son. I don’t bet Ante-post without NRNB, so will wait until Thursday for final field, draw and likely going though. I still haven’t managed to warm to AW though, so can’t share your enthusiasm for Kempton.
 
After being gripped by Dunfermline flooring Alleged in the 1977 St Leger, my Dad first took me to Doncaster races in very early January 1978 (Royal Frolic beat Cancello in a match in the first Chase I ever saw live), we returned later in the month for the Great Yorkshire (Night Nurse beat Birds Nest on the same card), then in September for the St Leger won by Julio Mariner (quite a story attached to that) and became regulars for quite a few years thereafter.

Left to my own devices while he went to work, my day consisted of breakfast at the Gingham Kitchens, itinerantly hanging around the Arndale Centre until the bookies opened, lunch at the Kebab House on Printing Office Street then walking to the track.

Must admit I always loved the place, municipal racecourse though it was, and I think the footage of Town Moor at the end of "The Rainbow Jacket" captured the essence of the place nicely.
 
I was a member at Doncaster for some years in the early 2000s but the redevelopment from municipal run down charm into a giant Wetherspoons was a disaster and they dumped annual members in seating past the winning post. Last time I went was Camelot's Triple crown when he was foiled by the doper Zarooni 's Encke .
 
I visited Doncaster Racecourse for the first time a couple of months ago.

There was no racing on as I wasn't there for that.

What I did like was how close it was to Doncaster train station. Maybe I'll make it back one day for the St Leger or something like that.

My local track Gosforth Park is a bit too far out the way for my liking.
 
Looks like 69 confirmed entries to me.

Safety Factor is 22 and of course many of these will end up in the supporting race.
 
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Another example , however, of the move towards more and more shorter races . Not one of the races at the 2 day meeting is longer than 10f since the scrapping of the Doncaster Shield.
 
Had a bit of a look. Not aware of any dual winners. I backed Mr Professor last year. He could've been called the winner at halfway. Absolutely sluiced home. I don't think a 4lb higher mark, is harsh at all. I thought the ground would be softer, I'd be all over the 33/1 (WH).
 
Ob (1906 & 1907) and Babur (1957 & 1958) were dual winners - so we are overdue a third!

The ground wasn't too great last year, that looked to me like a career best from Mr Professor and, while he does have form on quicker ground, I'd fancy him more if it came up Soft again and I do agree that, having done nothing since, he's back down a pound to only a 4lb higher mark than last year which wouldn't be insurmountable.
 
Given the forecast,if Mr Professor does run,it'll likely be a warm-up for wetter days ahead,imo.
Classy flat meetings at Donny and Kempton,Saturday - roll on.
 
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I've done a very superficial trawl of those with higher ratings on RPRs. On the face of it, it looks like it is at the mercy of something that has improved significantly away from the track over the winter since I'm not seeing anything up to winning a normal Class 2 Saturday TV handicap, let alone a race worth £150k.

I do hope the ground ends up on the dry side as it reduces the element of lottery regarding bias on heavy ground and/or luck with the draw.

I do have one in mind at very nice odds but I'll probably wait until the final decs in case they have another target in mind.
 
Another one thats caught my eye is Ocean of Dreams. Very lightly raced, ex Ballydoyle. This one could be capable of significant improvement, racing on better ground . Small bet on him at 22s on the machine, Mr Professor 34s.. See what Thursday brings.
 
Hey, ho, the first big “chuck your money away” race of the new season. In the expectation of never seeing them again, I might throw a few pennies the way of Orne if he runs. Here’s a horse who ran over 7f and 1m in Class1 as a 2yo (winning one of them) then plied his trade without success at the Class1 table as a 3yo over those distance until tried over 6f where he came 2nd in the Group2 Sandy Lane at Haydock behind Inisherin followed by double the distance defeat (9th) behind the same horse in the Grade1 Commonwealth Cup at Ascot.

Those races seemed to knock the stuffing out of him and he ran poorly in a Listed 6f and was then gelded. He took the hump at that (or was it the the AW) and finished stone last of 12 in the Listed 6f Golden Rose at Newcastle. On turf, he’s always had plenty of juice in the ground, so not sure about his preference if any. Here he is now back at 1m.
 
Robicheaux said:
Had a bit of a look. Not aware of any dual winners. I backed Mr Professor last year. He could've been called the winner at halfway. Absolutely sluiced home. I don't think a 4lb higher mark, is harsh at all. I thought the ground would be softer, I'd be all over the 33/1 (WH).
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I agree he is an interesting candidate, but share concerns about the ground. If he runs, I will have a tiny investment anyway. His young trainer (he was working as an assistant to Dominic French David when Mr Professor won last year) interests me and I’d be pretty confident he will want to make an early impact this season. His 2yo’s might be worth following (but not when they are short prices, which given the price tag many of the Amo Racing horses come with, many will be).
 


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