Mick Hinchcliffe might well owe his own existence to the result of one running of the Lincoln Handicap, so he's got more than the casual eye on each year's renewal. This year he's got another strong interest...
Family legend has it that a winning punt on the Lincoln, when it was actually run at Lincoln Racecourse - more precisely at Carholme a few miles west of the city of Lincoln - resulted in my grandad purchasing an engagement ring for my mam's mother at the time...and well, the rest as they say, is history.
While there is no reason for me to doubt the veracity of this story it has lent a level of intrigue and mystery in my eyes to the race itself, and each March I look forward to the release of the entries and the weights allotted. Originally called just "The Lincoln," the race was moved to Doncaster in 1964 and then became known as the Lincoln Handicap which has seen drama and monumental gambles in equal measure, notably in 1968 when Barry Hills launched a successful career as a trainer when Greville Starkey booted home Frankincense (backed in from 66-1 to 100-8 an often used SP back in those days). Hills later revealed it took several months to get the money on. He was the travelling head lad to the trainer of the winner John Oxley and the money he won enabled him to go on and buy his own yard from where he trained Derby winners and Rheingold who was victorious in the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe.
This year's Lincoln is a typical ferociously competitive affair with plots and sub plots aplenty. Leading fancies for the race Harpers Ferry and Qirat were scratched from the race at the confirmation stage on Monday and that leaves the way forward for MIDNIGHT GUN to make a big impact in this first major handicap of 2025.
A grey gelding out of Kingman, Midnight Gun is a progressive four-year-old handicapper trained by Hamad Al Jehhani and due to be ridden by James Doyle. Four year olds have a tremendous record in this race and Midnight Gun signed off last season over course and distance in October when runner up to Harpers Ferry, who as mentioned previously was expected to have a major say in the race until its withdrawal. The pair pulled well clear of the rest of the field and Midnight Gun pushed the winner all the way to the line.
No stranger to big field handicaps and seemingly able to handle most types of ground Midnight Gun could be the answer to yet another tricky Lincoln puzzle.
Not promising an engagement ring if it's a winner though!
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