It's the William Hill Lincoln as the Flat returns in Britain this weekend - Alex Hammond looks forward to the year ahead on the level.
What’s on your shortlist for the Lincoln this weekend?
The start of the Flat turf season may not be as impactful as it once was but Saturday’s card at Doncaster is a cracker. The William Hill Lincoln is as competitive as ever with 69 entries, of which only 22 will get a place in the final line-up. As I write the declarations are yet to be made but we have a good idea of the protagonists.
William Haggas is the joint most successful trainer in this famous handicap with four winners, courtesy of High Low, Very Wise, Penitent and Addeybb. He could become the outright record holder if GODWINSON prevails. I like this horse and he will like conditions, which are predicted to be on the soft side of good. He found only Metal Merchant too good on his reappearance in a hot handicap at Newbury last spring, so we know he can go well after a break. He sneaks in at the bottom of the weights and at 14/1 with Sky Bet is an each-way option.
Thunder Run (Karl Burke) and Midnight Gun (Hamad Al Jehani) are 6/1 joint-favourites, and both look like improving four-year-olds, hence their position as market leaders. Exactly the profile you look for in a race of this nature.
That comment also applies to Britannia Stakes third NATIVE WARRIOR (Karl Burke) who looks to be Wathnan Racing’s second-string judging on jockey bookings but he’s not a bad back-up and it must have been a tough choice for James Doyle to make. Although he’d have to get down to his minimum weight to ride and at this time of year that may have been a difficult task. The horse has been gelded since we last saw him and that can only be a positive for his progression. He’s an 8/1 chance.
LATTAM is only 2lbs higher in the handicap than when he was runner up to Mr Professor in the Lincoln last year. Meanwhile, the winner is just 4lbs higher in his bid to become a rare dual winner of the race. Lattam didn’t get as smooth a passage as Mr Professor that day, and I’d be happy enough to give him a chance to make amends with his trainer Julie Camacho amongst the winners recently. He’s 10/1 with Sky Bet.
Orandi will carry a 5lbs penalty for his win in the Irish Lincolnshire Handicap two weeks ago and the bookies are understandably not taking a chance on Tony Martin’s runner as he’s 8/1 to complete the double.
I haven’t boiled it down to just one pick at this stage, but my shortlist is made up of Lattam, Native Warrior and Godwinson.
What else catches your eye at Doncaster?
The Doncaster Mile gave us Charyn last year. He was highest rated going into this Listed contest and that was just the start of his phenomenal season. This year’s highest rated is Liberty Lane for Karl Burke. He’s a five-year-old, so a year older than Charyn and he was well beaten in the Lincoln last year, but he came back sick from that run. There are nice races to be won with him this year but at 7/4 I’m happy to take him on.
DANCING GEMINI is a good horse. He’s 3/1 second favourite and has some excellent form at this track. I tend to prefer to go with yards in good form, but Roger Teal hasn’t had many runners recently so it’s hard to assess. The trip suits well and some ease underfoot is no problem.
Botanical is probably running over a trip short of his best, but he holds a Group 1 entry and it’s a good starting point.
Point Lynas has fitness on his side having run well in Doha in February. He may prefer better ground.
Cicero’s Gift can have a decent season for Charlie Hills, and he goes well fresh. He’s also been gelded since we saw him in October. He needs some cut in the ground so conditions will be fine for him.
This looks to be an informative race for the coming months but for this weekend I’m going to side with Dancing Gemini.
Do you have a horse to follow this Flat season?
I’ll get no prizes for originality here, but I can’t wait to see ZARIGANA again.
She was the best horse in the Prix Marcel Boussac but got caught out on the day by her lesser fancied stablemate. Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard has hit the ground running with winners right, left and centre in recent days.
The filly holds an entry in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp next month before her Classic campaign.
And how about a trainer and jockey to follow?
The team up of Jamie Insole with Richard Newland has been a success so far and this team look capable of becoming leading players on the flat and well as jumping thanks to their partnership.
Insole was assistant to Charlie Hills and is a trainer with ambition. I’m looking forward to seeing where the Flat season takes them in 2025.
As for a jockey, again no prizes here but Billy Loughnane will want to keep his incredible momentum going whilst his weight is manageable.
He’s a tall lad and will probably need to strike while the iron is hot. He’s in the running to be champion AW jockey and in agent Tony Hind he has a teammate who thrives on making champions. I don’t expect he’ll have much down time this flat season. He’s 2/1 joint-fav with Sky Bet to be champion jockey alongside Rossa Ryan.
Published at 1310 GMT on 26/03/25
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