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Lincoln Handicap: Past Winners, Stats & History

Lincoln Raceday
Course:
Doncaster
Flat Course
Grade:
Class 2
Length:
1m
Last Winner:
Migration @ 18/1
Prize Money:
£150,000 (2023)

As thrilling as the jumps season is, we do miss the flat over the winter months. Racing on the level makes its official return when Doncaster plays host to its excellent Lincoln Handicap card in late March or early April.

The contest was originally run at Lincoln Racecourse, with the first running of the race taking place way back in 1853. Following the course’s closure the race moved to its current Doncaster home in 1965.

The Lincoln takes place two weeks before the biggest handicap in jumps racing, the Grand National at Aintree, with the two collectively known as the Spring Double.

Lincoln Handicap Course Map (Flat Course)

Doncaster Flat Racecourse Map

Lincoln Handicap Past Winners

Year Winner SP Trainer Jockey
2023 Migration 18/1 David Menuisier Benoit De La Sayette
2022 Johan 28/1 Mick Channon Silvestre De Sousa
2021 Haqeeqy 9/2 John & Thady Gosden Benoit De La Sayette
2020 Abandoned - - -
2019 Auxerre 5/2 Charlie Appleby James Doyle
2018 Addeybb 5/1 William Haggas James Doyle
2017 Bravery 20/1 David O’Meara Daniel Tudhope
2016 Secret Brief 12/1 Charlie Appleby William Buick
2015 Gabrial 12/1 Richard Fahey Tony Hamilton
2014 Ocean Tempest 20/1 John Ryan Adam Kirby
2013 Levitate 20/1 John Quinn Darren Egan
2012 Brae Hill 25/1 Richard Fahey Tony Hamilton
2011 Sweet Lightning 16/1 Michael Dods Johnny Murtagh
2010 Penitent 3/1 William Haggas Johnny Murtagh
2009 Expresso Star 100/30 John Gosden Jimmy Fortune
2008 Smokey Oakey 10/1 Mark Tompkins Jimmy Quinn
2007 Very Wise 9/1 William Haggas Joe Fanning
2006 Blythe Knight 22/1 John Quinn Graham Gibbons
2005 Stream of Gold 5/1 Sir Michael Stoute Robert Winston
2004 Babodana 20/1 Mark Tompkins Philip Robinson

About the Lincoln Handicap: Signalling the Start of the Flat Season

Doncaster Racecourse and Grandstands
Photo © Steve Fareham (cc-by-sa/2.0)

The early part of spring is a strange time in the world of horse racing. Racing fans have their pick of top quality action from both the final weeks of the National Hunt season and the early stages of the turf flat racing season. It’s a tricky time for punters who have to consider the likely effects of the draw on competitive races like the Lincoln Handicap one week before turning their attention to the Grand National just a couple of weeks later.

The Lincoln Handicap is the feature race from the first Saturday of the flat racing season and as such is really the first major event of the new campaign. Held at Doncaster, this 1 mile handicap always attracts a competitive field so provides plenty of opportunity to punters.

Several Trends to Consider

The proximity of the Lincoln Handicap to the Grand National has led to two races being termed as the spring double. Whilst picking the winner of the Lincoln isn’t quite in the same league as predicting the Grand National winner, it is no mean feat.

As is usually the case, the first place to look when picking out a potential winner is age. Four-year-olds have an increasingly impressive record and there have only ever been two winners aged older than six.

Chart Showing the Ages of the Lincoln Handicap Winners Between 1965 and 2022

The second place to turn is the weights. It takes a monumental effort to win carrying anything over 9st 4lb and we have seen plenty of horses carrying less than 9st make the most of their advantage to win despite going off at longer odds. With the going usually on the sticky side at this early stage of the season that makes sense but an unseasonable dry, warm spell could make things different in theory.

Chart Showing the Weight Carried by the Lincoln Handicap Winners Between 1965 and 2022

On the subject of odds, there really is no discernible pattern in the Lincoln Handicap other than the fact that winning favourites are relatively rare. The Lincoln carries a prize fund of £100,000 which means the quality of competitors is always high even at this earliest part of the season. That ensures that even those who have been overlooked in the betting can get the job done, especially if they’ve been well drawn and so with a large field the norm it is no huge surprise to see favourites struggle.

Patience is a Virtue

The Lincoln Handicap takes place over a straight mile which means that the draw always has a big impact on the outcome. The general wisdom is that higher drawn horses have a better chance but it’s not quite as simple as that.

The weather around the turn of April is never predictable so neither is the going at Doncaster for the Lincoln. The softer the ground, the more important it is for a horse to be drawn high but whatever the going no trainer wants to see their horse given a draw in the middle stalls.

Chart Showing Starting Stall of Lincoln Handicap Winners by Between 1989 and 2022

Of course it’s never quite this straightforward. Horses perform differently subject to tactics employed by their jockey and by those around them. Those who really dig deep to try and find the winner of the Lincoln will always consider where the pacemakers have been drawn and whether that’s to the benefit or detriment to the horses on their shortlist.

A Race Full of History

Lincoln Racecourse Grandstand
Photo © Jo Turner (cc-by-sa/2.0)

The Lincoln Handicap has its roots all the way back in 1849. The first editions of the race were run over a distance of between 2 miles and 1½ miles and took place in the summer. A few years after that this summer race was discontinued and a new one called the Lincolnshire Handicap started in 1860.

From then the race stayed at Lincoln until that course was closed in 1964. The importance of the race mandated that it moved to a new venue rather than ending and Doncaster got the nod in 1965 from when it was renamed as the Lincoln Handicap.

Other Races of Note at Doncaster

  • Cammidge Trophy
  • Champagne Stakes
  • Doncaster Cup
  • Lincoln Handicap
  • Sky Bet Handicap Chase
  • St Leger Stakes
  • Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes

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