A bumper field will head to the 1m start for Saturday’s William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster, which is one of the early season highlights of the Flat season. Off at 3:35pm, our in-house tipster Steve Chambers is here with his preview of the contest on Town Moor and picks out his 1-2-3 for the race…
THUNDER RUN
(Clifford Lee/Karl Burke)
An impressive half-length winner of a competitive handicap at York’s Ebor Festival back in August, Thunder Run then ended last season with a very creditable fourth in the Balmoral Handicap at Ascot on Champions Day. The Night Of Thunder gelding will make his reappearance here off the same mark of 100 and he looks one that could keep improving this season and possibly competing in Pattern company soon, so is entitled to be well fancied towards the head of the betting.
MIDNIGHT GUN
(James Doyle/Hamad Al-Jehani)
A hugely consistent performer, Midnight Gun was last seen finishing second in a Doncaster handicap in soft ground at the end of last season and Hamad Al-Jehani’s charge will look to go one better on his return to the Yorkshire track on Saturday. He’s been given a notable 5lbs rise for that run, which sees him carrying near top weight in this contest, but he’s another with huge potential to improve this season and has to go on the shortlist.
NATIVE WARRIOR
(Kieran Shoemark/Karl Burke)
Third in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot, Karl Burke’s Native Warrior then went on to finish in second place in another trappy handicap at Glorious Goodwood a few weeks later. He struggled on his last outing at Doncaster back in September, but he could well bounce back from that effort in this event and is one at the bottom of the weights that makes huge appeal. Dropped 1lb for that poor last run, he’s one that could make a notable challenge for glory off 93.
THE FIELD
The abovementioned Balmoral Handicap could provide some notable clues for this contest and Julie Camacho’s Lattam was a fine runner-up that day at Ascot, while the sixth placed Toimy’s Son will also take his chance here and both have to come into calculations. A winner of the Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh a fortnight ago, Tony Martin’s Orandi will be looking to claim the English version and is one of the contenders with race fitness on his side and with the flourishing Rossa Ryan in the saddle then he’s a leading player. Whip Cracker was fourth in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton for Richard Hughes and is another runner lining up with the benefit of a run, while the likes of Mr Professor and Godwinson have some decent form on their CVs and add more depth to an enthralling renewal.
VERDICT
A hugely competitive renewal of the 2025 William Hill Lincoln will see a cracking field go to post, but the one that makes most appeal is Karl Burke’s NATIVE WARRIOR, who showed when third in the Britannia Stakes that he can excel in big fields and he could be a prominent figure from the outset of this contest. Orandi is the form angle to the race and the Irish raider can chase home Burke’s raider with Thunder Run outclassing the rest of his rivals to bag third place.
2025 Lincoln Handicap 1-2-3
- Native Warrior
- Orandi
- Thunder Run
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