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 Mr Professor 33/1
2 Lattam 16/1
3 Navagio 22/1
4
Alpha Crucis 28/1
20 ran NR: Awaal, Bass Player
Distances: 1½l, 2l, nk Time: 1m 44.00s (slow by 7.60s)
Mr Professor claims the William Hill Lincoln! 👨🏫
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 23, 2024
David Egan and Amo Racing take the first big prize of the season! 🥇#ITVRacing | @DoncasterRaces pic.twitter.com/zBzjF6ZY5L
Mr Professor showcased his brilliance at Doncaster, leaving his rivals trailing behind. Despite being sent off at 33-1, this five-year-old, trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis, defied the odds. Initially drawn in stall two, he found himself more towards the middle of the pack after jockey David Egan urged him to accelerate a furlong and a half from home.
Lattam finished a length and a half behind in second place, while Navagio trailed two lengths further back in third. The winner’s victory was never in doubt once he surged ahead.
Chazzesmee, trained by Fozzy Stack, entered the race as the well-backed 5-2 favorite, aiming for an extraordinary double after winning the Irish equivalent the previous weekend. Although he made a menacing move, he narrowly missed out on fourth place, edged out by Alpha Crucis.
Unfortunately, last year’s winner, Migration, caused disappointment by planting himself in the stalls as the gates opened.
Ffrench Davis said: “I think a lot of it has to do with the ground, it’s very tacky and holding and he travelled through it well.
“Two out, he was going supremely well and David didn’t really want to go on as soon as he did, but it’s very hard to make ground up in that sort of ground and he quickened up nicely and kept going.
“We knew he was very fit and would like the ground, so we were hopeful. His draw in stall two didn’t look great, but it worked out well.
“I think he seems a very happy horse now, he had been out to Bahrain before we got him but he prefers to get his toe in. He bolted up at Goodwood one day for us, his form has been solid.
“It’s great to win this, it’s the first big handicap of the year and these are the races you have to aim to win.
“For horses like him, I hope this rain continues, but we’ve plenty of horses who want better ground.
“I suppose we’d have to look at the Spring Cup next but he does have to get his toe in, so the word soft would need to be in the description. He’s obviously well handicapped, so you’d have to have a look at a race like that.
“It’s a fantastic start for David, he won the first two-year-old race at the Curragh last week and we were hoping to win the Brocklesby but that didn’t work out – thankfully, this makes up for it.”
Pulborough trainer Menuisier later announced the retirement of Migration, posting on X: “Migration is now retired, we have to think about the great times we’ve had with him especially Glorious Goodwood, Doncaster and York.
“Thank you Migration for the amazing years we’ve had in your company. Enjoy a well-deserved quiet time.”
Network Lincoln (Heritage Handicap)
20 ran
Going: Soft, Heavy in places
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (2) Mr Professor 5 8-8 Dominic Ffrench Davis David Egan 33/1
2 (14) 1½ Lattam 5 8-11 Julie Camacho Ryan Sexton 16/1
3 (1) 2 Navagio 5 8-12 James Horton Richard Kingscote 22/1
4 (19) nk Alpha Crucis 4 8-2 Gary Moore Anna Gibson 28/1
5 (3) 1¼ Chazzesmee 6 8-13 5ex J A Stack J M Sheridan 5/2F
6 (22) hd Spirit Genie 4 8-2 Jennie Candlish Kieran O'Neill 25/1
7 (7) 3 Thunder Ball 4 9-3 Paul & Oliver Cole Alec Voikhansky 11/1
8 (17) 2¾ The Gatekeeper 5 9-2 Charlie Johnston Joe Fanning 12/1
916 (15) 1¾ Chuzzlewit 4 8-8 5ex Kevin Ryan Shane Gray 66/1
10 (16) nk One Night Thunder 4 8-4 Gemma Tutty Laura Coughlan 22/1
11 (4) ½ Parlando 5 8-7 5ex Ian Williams Sean D Bowen 33/1
12 (18) 1½ Dutch Decoy 7 8-9 Charlie Johnston Connor Beasley 33/1
13 (20) 5½ Liberty Lane 4 9-4 K R Burke Clifford Lee 5/1
14 (6) shd Farhh To Shy 6 8-8 George Margarson Benoit De La Sayette 18/1
15 (8) hd Hieronymus 8 8-7 5ex George Baker Aidan Keeley 80/1
16 (9) 1½ Vetiver 4 9-0 Andrew Balding David Probert 11/1
17 (10) ½ Blues Emperor 5 8-13 J P Murtagh Ben Coen 11/1
18 (21) hd Revich 8 9-0 Richard Spencer Jason Hart 80/1
19 (12) 2 Johan 7 9-8 Jack Channon Silvestre De Sousa 11/1
RR (11) Migration 8 9-13 David Menuisier Paddy Bradley 20/1
NR 3 (5) Awaal 5 9-4 Simon & Ed Crisford NON RUNNER
NR 21 (13) Bass Player 5 8-2 Kevin Frost NON RUNNER
