Which modern trainer has saddled most winners of the Lincoln Handicap?
The Lincoln Handicap, formerly the Lincolnshire Handicap, was run for the first time in its current guise, over a mile, at Lincoln Racecourse in 1855. The race was transferred to Doncaster Racecourse in 1965, following the closure of its original venue the previous year. Traditionally, the Lincoln Handicap was the curtain raiser to the British Flat season and, while Flat racing now takes place all year ’round, the historic race still marks the start of the turf season.
In the late-nineteenth century, jockey turned trainer William ‘Jack’ Robinson won the Lincoln Handicap three years running, courtesy of Clorane (1896), Winkfield’s Pride (1897) and Prince Barcaldine (1898). He won the race for a fourth time with Cinderello (1910) and remains, jointly, the most successful trainer in the history of the Lincoln Handicap.
More recently, Newmarket trainer William Haggas, who joined the training ranks in his own right in 1986, has also saddled four winners of the Lincoln Handicap. Haggas opened his account with High Low (1992) and, after a lengthy hiatus, followed up with Very Wise (2007), Penitent (2010) and Addeybb (2018); the 2007 Lincoln Handicap was run at Newcastle, on the old turf course, during the redevelopment of Doncaster. Penitent went on to win two Group 2 races for David O’Meara, while Addeybb, who remains in training as an 8-year-old, is a four-time Group 1 winner at home and abroad.