The Aintree Grand National may dominate much of the discussion as we move towards the end of March. However, the Merseyside marvel isn’t the only ultra-competitive handicap on the horizon.
One week before events at Aintree, the flat handicappers take centre stage at the South Yorkshire track of Doncaster. Playing a key role in the late flat season, thanks to the oldest Classic of them all, the St Leger Stakes, and the Group 1 Futurity Trophy, Donny is also the track which officially kicks off the latest flat campaign.
Taking centre stage on the 29th of March is one of the most historic handicaps on the racing calendar: the Lincoln. No horse would attempt to win a one-mile handicap and a 4m2f chase in the space of seven days, but for betting purposes, the Lincoln Handicap and Grand National comprise the Spring Double.
Selecting the winner of one, never mind two, big field handicaps is no easy task. However, that won’t stop punters from trying, and if successful, combining the Lincoln and Grand National winners in a double is sure to produce a handsome return.
Looking ahead to the National, many will look no further than the raft of Irish challengers towards the head of the market. However, if the betting is to be believed, the Lincoln prize may remain on home soil in 2025.
Bettors Quick to Spot the Claims of Qirat
With 10 wins at Group 3 level or above, 2024 was quite the year for Hampshire handler Ralph Beckett. Building on a season which included a top-tier triumph at the Breeders’ Cup Meeting, Classic success in the Irish Oaks, and a spellbinding Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe display from Bluestocking won’t be easy. However, the market suggests that Beckett has a solid chance of making a great start in the opening day highlight.
A little over a week before runners go under starters orders for the Lincoln Handicap, the Beckett-trained Qirat has made his way to the top of the market. Going in the famous Juddmonte silks, this son of Showcasing showed a liking for big-field handicap affairs with two wins at Goodwood in 2024. Having rounded off his season with a solid second in a Listed event at Nottingham, he looks the type to improve as a four-year-old. Beckett has yet to win the Lincoln, but perhaps Qirat could be the one.
Youngsters Dominate the Betting
It is easy to like the claims of Qirat, but he isn’t the only four-year-old to head to Doncaster with an appealing profile.
Harper’s Ferry takes the feature!
Despite difficulty in the stalls beforehand, @edwalkerracing‘s three-year-old finds enough to see off Poniros for @OsborneSaffie at @WindsorRaces… pic.twitter.com/zKqx3OJl8Q
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 15, 2024
Ed Walker’s Harper’s Ferry was deemed worth a shot at the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes last season and rounded off 2024 with strong staying success over this course and distance.
Karl Burke’s Thunder Run is another to catch the eye at single-figure odds, having won three of his six starts in 2024 and only finished outside the placed positions on one occasion. He started favourite for the Balmoral Handicap in October and looks dangerous for a trainer who regularly starts the season on the front foot.
And Don’t Discount Wathnan Duo
The blue, gold, and red silks of Wathnan Racing have become an increasingly familiar sight in the Winner’s Enclosure, and the powerful owners show no sign of slowing down. Having picked up seven Group race wins in 2024, headlined by Kind Of Blue’s success on Champions Day, Wathnan has already struck twice in Group company in 2025.
(J. W. Doyle- @GraffardRacing ) triomphe dans le Prix Exbury (Gr.3) à Saint-Cloud, décrochant ainsi le premier Groupe de sa carrière.
Il succède à Haya Zark au palmarès de cette course et signe son 4⃣ème succès en cinq sorties. pic.twitter.com/9uHLVD07hd
— Equidia (@equidia) March 16, 2025
Whilst “only” a handicap contest, the Lincoln often falls to a group calibre performer. Wathnan may have the right types to progress through the ranks in Native Warrior and Midnight Gun.
By sire-of-the-moment Wootton Bassett, Native Warrior enjoyed a productive three-year-old campaign featuring three-placed efforts. He will need to improve but may well do so following a gelding operation over the winter.
Midnight Gun has also undergone a gelding procedure during his break and won’t need to improve much to be involved in the finish. A winner over this trip at Newmarket in June, his most recent effort saw him go down by just a length to Harper’s Ferry over this course and distance.
The above runners are amongst the most obvious contenders for Lincoln success, but no doubt dangers lurk everywhere in a race that is no stranger to a shock result.
