Lincoln Handicap 2025: Race Stats & Trends
The British Flat turf season kicks off in style on Saturday with the William Hill Lincoln, one of the most competitive handicaps of the year, taking centre stage at Doncaster.
A huge betting heat, it's a busy day for betting sites as punters look to land a Saturday winner.
We've analysed past trends and stats to help you find this year's winner…hopefully.
Lincoln Handicap - 3:35pm Saturday, Doncaster
The Lincoln Handicap is a prestigious flat horse race held at Doncaster, traditionally marking the start of the British turf season.
Run over the straight mile, this fiercely competitive handicap attracts top-class entries, and is an excellent race for using free bets on.
With a rich history and unpredictable outcomes, it’s an exciting betting race and a thrilling opener to the season.
- Date: Saturday, March 29, 2025
- Time: 3:35pm
- Race Type: Flat handicap race for horses aged 4yo+
- Distance: 1 mile
- Venue: Doncaster Racecourse
- Purse: Winner - £77,310, Purse - £148,000
Don't forget to check out the confirmed Lincoln runners and the latest Lincoln betting odds.
Lincoln Handicap Race Stats & Trends
To help you find the winner in this challenging race, we've put together this Lincoln Handicap stats and trends guide.
This allows punters to identify the runners that best fit the winning profile when browsing horse racing betting sites.
Favourites
In recent years, the Lincoln Handicap has not been a happy hunting ground for those horses near the head of the betting. Just one of the last 11 Lincoln winners were favourite, while only three of the last 11 were in the top 3 in the betting. Eight of the previous 11 Lincoln winners were priced at 12/1 or bigger, including last year's winner, Mr Professor, who won at odds of 33/1 for trainer Dominic Ffrench Davis.
Ratings
Winning the Lincoln Handicap requires a high-quality horse, and in the last ten runnings, nine winners had an official rating of 99 or higher - the exception being Mr Professor, who defied the trend by winning last year off a mark of 92.
Notably, eight of those nine winners were rated between 99 and 102, with Migration (rated 107 in 2023) and Mr Professor being the outliers.
A £1 level-stakes bet on all 80 runners rated within that range since 2014 would have returned a £32 profit - highlighting the importance ratings play in this race.
Recent Form
A recent run before the Lincoln Handicap isn’t as essential as it might seem - since 2014, only two winners had raced within the previous 44 days.
The ante-post market is often led by horses making their seasonal reappearance, and for good reason - eight of the last ten Lincoln winners had been off the track for 135 days or more.
Irish Horses
Despite dominating the recent Cheltenham Festival, Irish-trained horses have a poor record in the Lincoln Handicap.
There has been just one Irish-trained winner of the Lincoln in the last 21 years, and their best chance of a winner this year comes with the Tony Martin-trained Orandi, who won the Irish Lincoln earlier this month.
The Draw
The Lincoln Handicap is run over a straight mile, making the draw a key factor in the outcome. While higher-drawn horses are often favoured, the advantage isn’t always straightforward.
With unpredictable spring weather, ground conditions at Doncaster can vary, and on softer going, a high draw becomes even more crucial.
Regardless of conditions, however, no trainer wants their horse drawn in the middle.
Lincoln Handicap Previous Winners
Check out the last ten winners of the Lincoln Handicap below.
| Year | Winner | Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mr Professor | Dominic Ffrench Davis |
| 2023 | Migration | David Menuisier |
| 2022 | Johan | Mick Channon |
| 2021 | Haqeeqy | John & Thady Gosden |
| 2020 | Meeting Abandoned | — |
| 2019 | Auxerre | Charlie Appleby |
| 2018 | Addeybb | William Haggas |
| 2017 | Bravery | David O’Meara |
| 2016 | Secret Brief | Charlie Appleby |
| 2015 | Gabrial | Richard Fahey |
Horse Racing Tips for Doncaster
Our top tipping team, Charlie McCann and Alan Kelly, will have their free horse racing tips for the action at Doncaster on Saturday, including for the Lincoln Handicap.
