“The Flat is back,” we all cried earlier this week, and with this excitement still filling my head, I have three Doncaster Lincoln Meeting tips to consider for Saturday.
It’s true, the Flat is back, but it’s only momentarily with Aintree, Ayr, Sandown, and Punchestown still to come this jumps season.
Still, I love the Flat as much as the next man, and I have a few fancies for this weekend’s competitive action.
I’ll admit, the last few weeks haven’t been great, and I was particularly downbeat about last weekend’s selections. They were notably poor.
It’s always a tricky period this time of year, so I’ll just have to bat a bit smarter and see how we go.
Doncaster Lincoln Meeting Tips
2:25 Doncaster – Iberian @ 8/1 with William Hill (3 places) – 1pt EW
Iberian had a weird season last year which has almost made him a bit of a below-the-radar horse, and although he is running for the first time this season, he has the ability to win this.
As a juvenile, he was a high-class animal. He finished second in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes behind Haatem, the subsequent Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up, and ahead of the now 111-rated Mountain Bear.
He was given plenty to do that day by William Buick and he stayed on through the line; a more prominent ride could have seen him win that day.
Following that, he won the Group 2 Champagne Stakes when beating Sunway, Rosallion, and Mountain Bear.
Although the race occurred over seven furlongs, they went slow early-on turning the contest into a sprint. The speedier Iberian was always going to get the better of Sunway that day, and Rosallion didn’t enjoy the softer conditions, but that piece of form is still very smart.
Sunway won a Group 1 on his final start of that season before finishing second in the Group 1 Irish Derby the following season, and Rosallion’s three-year-old speaks for itself.
On his final start of the season, Iberian ran in the Dewhurst and finished sixth on ground that was on the soft side for him. Still, he travelled sweetly and looked to have a good chance two furlongs from home, but the stamina test probably caught him out late-on.
With a win at Southwell in December under the belt, I was pleased to see in the week that Charlie Hills has planned to run him in this race for a while as this is successful track for the Lope De Vega four-year-old.
3:00 Doncaster – Chic Colombine @ 12/1 with William Hill (3 places) – 1pt EW
Billy Loughnane has chosen Botanical over Chic Colombine, which is a small worry, but the latter is the one I’m more confident about.
She’s two from three in races after a 70-day break, notably when winning the Listed Prix la Camargo in March 2024 following a 155-day break.
She beat Sparkling Plenty, a subsequent Group 1 winner and two-time Group 1 placed mare, by eight lengths that day, which is nice form.
Two starts later, she had a terrible route through the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Epsom Derby Day and was beaten by just a neck.
Breege, the winner, went on to land the Group 2 City Of York Stakes and the third, Royal Dress, went on to win the Group 3 Meadow Court Stakes at the Curragh.
Good to soft ground is something that should suit her, and she gets weight from the boys. She has to improve, but pieces of her form and last season’s performances suggest she can.
3:35 Doncaster – Whip Cracker @ 12/1 with Betfred (6 places) – 1pt EW
Just the one for me in the Lincoln, but it’s one I’ve been with all week as Whip Cracker looks like an interesting player.
Although the stats suggest that race fitness isn’t a necessity in previous Lincoln winners, his run at Wolverhampton in the Lincoln Trial earlier this month has to be a positive.
He looked fresh enough in the early stages of the race, so the run hopefully took the edge off him ahead of this weekend, and his effort towards the line was eye-catching.
His standout piece of form is his second on seasonal reappearance in the Listed Feilden Stakes last year as the winner, Jayarebe, went on to win a Group 2 and finish behind Economics at Deauville.
Caviar Heights, the third, won a Listed race on his next start and finished behind Kalpana at Hamilton in July and the fourth, Ambiente Friendly, won the Derby Trial at Lingfield before placing in both the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby.
He finished third over 1m2f in a nice Newbury three starts later, and the second, Bolster, went on to win a Class 2 York handicap before winning the Listed James Seymour Stakes at Newmarket.
She is quite the price in this race. She will be a horse to follow this season, no doubt, and I’m hoping she can start the campaign with a win here.
