The British Flat turf season gets underway at Doncaster on Saturday afternoon and the traditional curtain-raiser is the Lincoln Handicap over the straight mile on Town Moor.
They have a busy eight-race card from 13:15-17:20 and we've picked out two selections in the big race that are worthy of some consideration.
- TOIMY SON TO WIN (EACH-WAY)
- WHIP CRACKER TO WIN (EACH-WAY)
Mr Professor Back For Another Bite
A full field of 22 runners are set to do battle in the Lincoln over the straight mile at Doncaster, including the first two home in last year's race.
Mr Professor is now 4lb higher than when causing a 33/1 shock 12 months ago and the runner-up, Latham, is now 2lb better off for that length-and-a-half defeat.
Not since 1958 has any horse managed to stage a repeat win, so Mr Professor has history against him having left Dominic Ffrench-Davis to join Brazilian-born Raphael Freire, former assistant to the Lambourn handler but now operating on his own.
Karl Burke has high-profile pair Thunder Run (Clifford Lee) and Native Warrior (Kieran Shoemark) in the mix, while James Doyle elects to ride the Hamad Al Jehani-trained Midnight Gun instead of Native Warrior for Wathnan Racing.
Irish hopes are carried by Orandi for Tony Martin, winner of the Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh two weeks ago.
Toimy Son To Go Well
Trainer David Menuisier took some time to get to the bottom of TOIMY SON after importing him from France. His efforts on the continent included a Listed win at Longchamp (7f, good to soft) in May 2022 as a three-year-old but he arrived on British shores with a mark of 108 and achieved little of note in his first season.
Last year was much more pleasing. He defied a 269-day absence with a good run at Kempton in April on the Polytrack and showed promise on turf before coming good when landing the Golden Mile Handicap at Glorious Goodwood in August off a rating of 88.
He was third in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket from 7lb higher and ran well again in the Balmoral at Ascot on Champions Day, finishing sixth of 20, behind re-opposing rivals Lattam (second) and Thunder Run (fourth).
The fact he has shown he can go well fresh is a major plus and he will handle any conditions underfoot.
Menuisier has enlisted the services of Warren Fentiman, a rising star in the weighing room at the tender age of 16, and his 5lb claim looks very useful here.
Whip Cracker To Step On Trial Effort
Older horses have won the previous three renewals of the Lincoln but, before that, five straight instalments went to four-year-olds and the Richard Hughes-trained WHIP CRACKER is capable of a big run here for that generation under Finley Marsh.
The Cracksman gelding twice made the frame in Listed events at Newmarket early last season over further but his final appearance at Goodwood in the autumn showed he can handle the bare mile.
He made his comeback in the Wolverhampton Lincoln Trial recently and ran on strongly from an unpromising position in a race dominated by those on the front end.
He's goes from an unchanged mark now and there could be more to come from him after that pipe opener three weeks ago.
