William Hill Lincoln |
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| Heritage Handicap Doncaster 15:35 £150,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m, Class 2  |
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1 Godwinson 15/2
2
Oliver Show 22/1
3
Orandi 13/2 1
4
Magnum Opus 16/1
22 ran Distances: nse, nk, 1¼l
Time: 1m 40.09s (slow by 3.49s)
What a race!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 29, 2025
GODWINSON is the winner of the 2025 William Hill Lincoln at @DoncasterRaces!@CierenFallonJr | @WilliamHaggas pic.twitter.com/YKXhEDPIA9
Godwinson swooped late to snatch victory in a thrilling renewal, handing William Haggas a record-breaking fifth triumph in the prestigious Doncaster contest.
Sent off at 15-2, Cieren Fallon kept his cool aboard the four-year-old in a fiercely competitive field of 22, but for much of the race, it looked a daunting task. Tracking the pace throughout the straight mile, Fallon had to bide his time as Tony Martin’s Orandi surged to the front inside the final furlong, attempting to etch his name in history as the first horse to land both the Lincoln and the Irish Lincolnshire in the same season.
Just as Orandi’s bold bid seemed set to pay off, George Boughey’s Oliver Show loomed large, sweeping past inside the closing stages and appearing to have the spoils secured. But Fallon had other ideas. With ice in his veins, he conjured a devastating late burst from Godwinson, thrusting his mount over the line in the nick of time to prevail by a nose, with Oliver Show edged into second and Orandi a further neck back in third.
“Every jockey dreams of winning this race, and to do it in that style is special,” beamed Fallon, whose father Kieren claimed the prize aboard High Premium in 1993. “I was quietly confident this morning – he’d been working really well at home. The race unfolded perfectly, even though we were drawn on the wrong side. I got plenty of cover, they went a strong gallop, and with the headwind, it set up nicely for us. You have to ride him that way, and with the ground drying out, it suited us well.”
Haggas, now the most successful trainer in the race’s history, was both surprised and delighted. “That was a nice shock! He got a lovely run through, but Cieren gave him an incredibly confident ride. Fair play – he had a plan, and it worked to perfection. We thought the ground might have dried up a little too much, but clearly not.”
With his place in the record books cemented, Haggas reflected on his remarkable tally. “That’s five now, which is fantastic. We always try to find one for this race. Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn’t – but this year, we got it right. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come for the season ahead.”
Boughey, meanwhile, was left to wonder what might have been. “I thought he’d done enough – he’s run an absolute stormer. He came back from Bahrain in great nick, and he’s a seriously progressive horse. I thought he was at his ceiling, but he’s still improving. We’ll work backwards from the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot.”
A pulsating finish, a race to remember, and a new chapter in the Lincoln’s storied history. On a day when margins were wafer-thin, it was Godwinson and Fallon who found that final flourish to land the spoils.
William Hill Lincoln (Heritage Handicap)
22 ran
Going: Good to Soft
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (3) Godwinson 5 9-4 William Haggas Cieren Fallon 15/2
2 (15) nse Oliver Show 5 9-5 George Boughey Billy Loughnane 22/1
3 (2) nk Orandi 7 9-3 5ex A J Martin Rossa Ryan 13/2
4 (16) 1¼ Magnum Opus 4 9-6 5ex Simon & Ed Crisford Harry Davies 16/1
5 (11) ½ Galeron 5 9-12 Charles Hills Jason Watson 33/1
6 (13) nk Midnight Gun 4 9-11 Hamad Al Jehani James Doyle 9/2F
7 (1) 1½ Dual Identity 7 9-7 William Knight Brandon Wilkie 40/1
8 (20) ½ Alpha Crucis 5 9-3 Gary & Josh Moore Rhys Clutterbuck 33/1
9 (21) nk Native Warrior 4 9-3 K R Burke Kieran Shoemark 11/1
10 (7) ¾ Apiarist 4 9-8 5ex Kevin Ryan Tom Eaves 28/1
11 (9) 1½ Sean 8 9-12 Jamie Osborne William Carver 18/1
12 (18) nk Toimy Son 6 9-7 David Menuisier Warren Fentiman 16/1
13 (22) nk Mr Professor 6 9-6 Raphael E Freire David Egan 33/1
14 (5) 1½ Dashing Darcey 4 9-2 Geoffrey Harker David Allan 40/1
15 (19) nk Thunder Run 4 9-10 K R Burke Clifford Lee 11/2
16 (10) nk Two Tempting 6 9-8 Jonathan Portman Rob Hornby 33/1
17 (17) ½ Fantastic Fox 7 9-6 Roger Varian Aidan Keeley 28/1
18 (8) ½ Whip Cracker 4 9-7 Richard Hughes Finley Marsh 10/1
19 (12) 4¾ Lattam 6 9-7 Julie Camacho Ryan Sexton 12/1
20 (4) 3½ Orne 4 9-7 John & Thady Gosden Luke Catton 40/1
21 (6) ¾ Beringer 10 9-2 Alan King Callum Shepherd 80/1
22 (14) 1 Old Cock 4 9-1 Edward Bethell Callum Rodriguez 14/1
