Johan well drawn in Lincoln.
The Lincoln signals the start of the UK turf season at Doncaster this afternoon.
Always good to have competitive handicaps and the Lincoln doesn't dissapoint with 21 runners.
Johan runs well fresh and has not been busy over the past two season. He returned off a 293-day break to win the Goodwood mile handicap last August on soft ground. The runner up The Gatekeeper rubber stamped that form by landing the Balmoral Handicap on British Champions Day late in the season. Johan loves soft ground and stays the mile strongly. He has a good draw in the middle from stall 12 close to the pace horses Hieronymous and The Gatekeeper.
The handicapper has him 3lbs higher than when he won at Goodwood which is fine. Silvestre De Sousa rides again having won this race on Johan two seasons ago.
James Horton runs new Irish recruit Navagio for the Ontothewinner syndicate. This horse won twice in Ireland last season. The ground was soft for both wins so we know Navagio will love the ground at Doncaster. He improved throughout last season following a second-place finish to Blues Emperor at Naas over a mile on good ground. Navagio stays well as he proved when wining over an extended nine furlongs at Gowran Park last July.
Ray Cody is a good trainer in Ireland, but I would be disappointed if James Horton could not improve Navagio from his current rating of 96. The faster they go here the better as he will come home strongly over this flat mile trip. Richard Kingscote catches the eye in the saddle on what looks an overpriced runner if straight enough.
Doncaster 3:35
0.5 point each way Johan 11/1 Unibet else 10/1 Paddy Power, Betfair SB, Betway & 888sport, all 6 places.
0.5 point each way Navagio 25/1 Paddy Power, Betfair SB & Bet365, all 6 places.
Compare Odds at https://www.oddschecker.com/horse-racing
Past Results
Click to see past Big Saturday Race Preview Tips results
An event called the Lincolnshire Handicap was established at Lincoln in 1849. It was run over a distance of 2 miles in August.
The venue introduced the Lincoln Spring Handicap at a new fixture in March 1853. The first two runnings were over 1½ miles, and it was shortened to a mile in 1855. The summer race ended when the meeting was temporarily discontinued in the 1850s. The spring version was renamed the Lincolnshire Handicap in 1860.[4]
The race continued to be held at Lincoln until 1964. It was transferred to Doncaster in 1965, following the closure of its former venue. From this point it was known as the Lincoln Handicap.
The bookmaker William Hill supported the Lincoln Handicap for several years prior to 1997. The company started a new period of sponsorship in 2006 which ran until 2014, and from 2015 to 2017 the race was sponsored by the bookmakers Betway. In 2018, it was sponsored by 32Red and since 2019 Unibet have sponsored the race.
Winners over past 10 years
| Year | Winner | Age | Weight | Jockey | Trainer | SP | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Migration | 7 | 9-09 | Benoit de la Sayette | David Menuisier | 18/1 | 1:47.86 |
| 2022 | Johan | 5 | 9-04 | Silvestre de Sousa | Mick Channon | 28/1 | 1:37.34 |
| 2021 | Haqeeqy | 4 | 8-12 | Benoit de la Sayette | John and Thady Gosden | 9/2 | 1:38.26 |
| no race 2020 [b] | |||||||
| 2019 | Auxerre | 4 | 9-02 | James Doyle | Charlie Appleby | 5/2 F | 1:36.82 |
| 2018 | Addeybb | 4 | 9-02 | James Doyle | William Haggas | 5/1 | 1:43.56 |
| 2017 | Bravery | 4 | 9-01 | Daniel Tudhope | David O'Meara | 20/1 | 1:38.38 |
| 2016 | Secret Brief | 4 | 9-04 | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 12/1 | 1:46.25 |
| 2015 | Gabrial | 6 | 9-00 | Tony Hamilton | Richard Fahey | 12/1 | 1:39.62 |
| 2014 | Ocean Tempest | 5 | 9-03 | Adam Kirby | John Ryan | 20/1 | 1:40.17 |
| 2013 | Levitate | 5 | 8-04 | Darren Egan | John Quinn | 20/1 | 1:41.91 |
Best of Luck,
Nicky