The Lincoln Handicap (Doncaster, 3.35) is always a fascinating puzzle of a flat season curtain raiser, with progressive four-year-olds facing an acid test against seasoned handicappers on Town Moor.
Karl Burke looks to have just about all the boxes ticked with Liberty Lane, a representative of the former cohort, while former Sir Michael Stout assistant-trainer James Horton could have inherited a useful weapon in former Irish trained five-year-old Navagio.
3.35 Doncaster – The Lincoln Handicap best bet & each-way play
Best bet: Liberty Lane @ 9/2
Each-way play: Navagio @ 20/1
Bet on the latest horse racing odds at Betzone
Obvious claims of Liberty Lane are too good to ignore
Karl Burke’s LIBERTY LANE is disputing favouritism with Irish Lincoln winner Chazzesmee at the time of writing but holds far more appeal at the prices, given that rival’s exertions in winning on heavy ground on Monday are sure to have taken some of the edge off him.
Burke saw the four-year-old as good enough to contest last season’s Dante Stakes at York (in which he led up until around the furlong pole). However, the extra two furlongs and the good to firm ground proved to be his undoing on that occasion.
Back at a mile, a soft ground Lincoln looks tailor-made for the colt, who claimed a course and distance victory on similar going at last season’s St Leger meeting. He returns to Town Moor rated just 5lbs higher, with further improvement likely on just his eighth career outing.
That Donny success was his second career win in as many starts on soft going and suggests conditions are perfect for him to put his best foot forward.
Strong-staying Irish import one to watch on ideal ground
Navagio rates a fascinating contender on his first run for Newmarket handler James Horton following his switch from Ray Cody’s Kilkenny operation this January, having put up several strong runs over a mile on soft ground for his previous trainer.
A scorer over one mile one-and-a-half furlongs on his last start for Cody, the Footstepsinthesand gelding won his previous start over a mile and finished a three-quarters of a length second over the same distance the race before that.
Although Navagio has run 16 times under rules to date, this will be only his third contest on soft ground over a mile or further.
He has won the previous two and if the transition to his new surroundings has been to his liking then he could potentially remain ahead of his mark of 96 when conditions are in his favour.
At 20/1 he makes plenty of appeal for each way purposes and Horton has secured the services of top jockey Richard Kingscote which further enhances his claims. Kingscote hit the frame in the race on his soul previous crack at this early season handicap staple and can consider himself unlucky on that score to boot.
He finished third aboard Mitchum Swagger in 2018 running, behind Lord Glitters and Addeybb, both of whom went on to win multiple Group 1s.
