Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Lincoln Handicap Preview
The Lincoln Handicap kicks off the Flat season at Doncaster racecourse in the first leg of what punters know as the 'Spring Double' where you look to back the winners of both the Lincoln and the Grand National which are on consecutive weekends. The race is run over a straight mile at Doncaster, it is open to four-year-old runners or older.
The race was first run back in 1853 at the Lincoln racecourse but was moved to Doncaster in 1965 when the Lincoln racecourse was closed. Only two runners have ever won this race twice, Ob in 1906 & 1907 and then Babur in 1957 & 1958.
William Haggas' success with Addeybb in 2018 tied him as the most successful trainer in the race with four winners, equalling Jack Robinson's number of winners. Whilst Doncaster underwent redevelopment, the race was held at Redcar (2006) and Newcastle (2007).
Lincoln Handicap Information:
Our dedicated Doncaster tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Lincoln Handicap but will also have predictions for each meeting at Doncaster throughout the season so be sure to head over there. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Other Principal Races at Doncaster Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Lincoln Handicap market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2014 when the race had an over-round of 117%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 140%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Lincoln Handicap, the over-round has been 131%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £131 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Lincoln Handicap Trends, see which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal, we also have a section that looks at the Lincoln Handicap Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Lincoln Handicap over the last 20 renewals:
- Expresso Star (1:36.51) in 2009
- Auxerre (1:36.82) in 2019
- Johan (1:37.34) in 2022
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Lincoln Handicap next time out then you would have backed a total of 1 winner. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -15.50. Ahead of the 2026 Lincoln Handicap why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 1:36.51 was set by Expresso Star in 2009, which is the quickest time over that period, the runner was trained by John Gosden and ridden by Jimmy Fortune. The slowest winning time was set in 2023 when Migration won in a time of 1:47.86, booked to ride was Benoit De La Sayette by the trainer David Menuisier.
Lincoln Handicap Past Winners
Here are the Lincoln Handicap past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Lincoln Handicap are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:40.09 | Godwinson (GB) 5yo 9-4 (3 of 22) 15/2 | Cieren Fallon William Haggas (GB) |
| 2024 1:44.00 | Mr Professor (IRE) 5yo 8-8 (2 of 20) 33/1 | David Egan Dominic Ffrench Davis (GB) |
| 2023 1:47.86 | Migration (IRE) 7yo 9-9 (12 of 22) 18/1 | Benoit De La Sayette (3lbs) David Menuisier (GB) |
| 2022 1:37.34 | Johan (GB) 5yo 9-4 (4 of 22) 28/1 | Silvestre De Sousa Mick Channon (GB) |
| 2021 1:38.26 | Haqeeqy (IRE) 4yo 8-12 (10 of 18) 9/2 | Benoit De La Sayette (7lbs) John & Thady Gosden (GB) |
| 2019 1:36.82 | Auxerre (IRE) 4yo 9-3 (17 of 19) 5/2F | James Doyle Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2018 1:43.56 | Addeybb (IRE) 4yo 9-2 (10 of 20) 5/1 | James Doyle William Haggas (GB) |
| 2017 1:38.38 | Bravery (IRE) 4yo 9-1 (20 of 22) 20/1 | Daniel Tudhope David O'Meara (GB) |
| 2016 1:46.25 | Secret Brief (IRE) 4yo 9-4 (22 of 22) 12/1 | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2015 1:39.62 | Gabrial (IRE) 6yo 9-0 (15 of 22) 12/1 | Tony Hamilton Richard Fahey (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Lincoln Handicap have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 58 placings from 414 runners
- IRE: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 9 runners
- UAE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- NOR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
Lincoln Handicap Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Lincoln Handicap over the last 20 renewals is William Haggas who has won the race four times with those four winners coming from Very Wise (2007), Penitent (2010), Addeybb (2018) and Godwinson (2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Lincoln Handicap are Richard Fahey (2 wins), John Quinn (2 wins) and Charlie Appleby (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Lincoln Handicap, Kevin Ryan (0-13), K R Burke (0-11) and David Barron (0-10) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Lincoln Handicap trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Haggas | 12-4-6 | +16.50 | +12.08 |
| Richard Fahey | 39-2-9 | +0.00 | +3.13 |
| John Quinn | 12-2-3 | +32.00 | +19.50 |
| Charlie Appleby | 4-2-2 | +12.50 | +7.06 |
| David O'Meara | 19-1-7 | +2.00 | +15.70 |
| John Ryan | 8-1-2 | +13.00 | +12.25 |
| John Gosden | 7-1-1 | -2.67 | -3.92 |
| Michael Dods | 5-1-2 | +12.00 | +8.50 |
| David Menuisier | 4-1-1 | +15.00 | +8.25 |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 2-1-1 | +4.00 | +2.13 |
Lincoln Handicap Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Lincoln Handicap over the last 20 renewals with Tony Hamilton, James Doyle and Benoit De La Sayette having all won the race two times. Tony Hamilton winners have been with Brae Hill (2012) and Gabrial (2015). James Doyle winners have been with Addeybb (2018) and Auxerre (2019). Benoit De La Sayette winners have been with Haqeeqy (2021) and Migration (2023).
Here are some of the top Lincoln Handicap jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Hamilton | 9-2-4 | +30.00 | +20.13 |
| James Doyle | 6-2-3 | +3.50 | +1.75 |
| Benoit De La Sayette | 3-2-2 | +21.50 | +13.06 |
| Daniel Tudhope | 8-1-4 | +13.00 | +12.07 |
| Silvestre De Sousa | 6-1-1 | +23.00 | +12.50 |
| Joe Fanning | 6-1-2 | +4.00 | +4.26 |
| Adam Kirby | 5-1-3 | +16.00 | +17.13 |
| Jimmy Quinn | 5-1-3 | +6.00 | +7.75 |
| David Egan | 3-1-2 | +31.00 | +20.63 |
| Cieren Fallon | 3-1-1 | +5.50 | +2.69 |
2026 Lincoln Handicap Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 12, 15, 7, 1, 1, 10, 5, 17, (2, 5), 10, 18, 2, 2, 1, 11, 12, 5, 5, 6
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Within the first 15 of the market
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No bigger than 33/1
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Ran in 4 - 33 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Ran in 1 - 25 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Fewer than 2 wins (Jockey)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Ran in 1 - 15 races (Trip)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - In a field of 7 - 20 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Had 1 - 6 wins (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Achieved a TS of 77+ (Last 5)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 2 - 15 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Not in a G3/LST/Cl5 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Off a break of 13 - 210 days
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Fewer than 6 wins (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not in FRA/DEU/ITA/SCO/WAL (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not in a G3/LST/Cl2/Cl6 (Debut)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Doncaster racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Lincoln Handicap. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Lincoln Handicap by adding a tip on the race here.
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Lincoln Handicap Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +28.33 is when runners ran in a race restricted to 3yo+ last time out.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran at Wolverhampton (AW) last time out, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-75.
Here are the most recent winning draws along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 3 (15,2,16) [22 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 2 (14,1,19) [20 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 12 (17,4,16) [22 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 4 (3,19,1) [22 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 10 (15,1,9) [18 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Lincoln Handicap is Newmarket (Rowley), there has been a total number of 5 winners of this race who ran at Newmarket (Rowley) last time out. The next best courses which have produced the second most winners are Ascot and Meydan, there has been a total number of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 416 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 9 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Lincoln Handicap, that stallion Pivotal has produced 2 winners (2018,2013).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Lincoln Handicap despite multiple attempts:
- Invincible Spirit (0 Wins from 10 runners)
- Footstepsinthesand (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Clodovil (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Dutch Art (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Acclamation (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Mr Professor in 2024, winning for Dominic Ffrench Davis at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of David Egan. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Lincoln Handicap why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Lincoln Handicap
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Lincoln Handicap, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Godwinson Ascot - 11th of 20 (18/1) | Balmoral Handicap |
| 2024 - Mr Professor Chelmsford (AW) - 6th of 7 (12/1) | Christmas Party Nights Handicap |
| 2023 - Migration Newmarket (Rowley) - 4th of 8 (9/2) | National Stud Welcomes Stradivarius James Seymour Stakes |
| 2022 - Johan Ascot - 11th of 20 (33/1) | Balmoral Handicap |
| 2021 - Haqeeqy Doncaster - 1st of 13 (12/1) | City of Doncaster Handicap |
| 2019 - Auxerre Kempton (AW) - 1st of 9 (2/1) | 32Red.com Handicap |
| 2018 - Addeybb Newmarket (Rowley) - 1st of 16 (7/2) | Shadwell Farm Handicap |
| 2017 - Bravery Naas - 12th of 12 (8/1) | Profile Systems Naas October Handicap |
| 2016 - Secret Brief Meydan - 3rd of 16 (16/1) | Jaguar XF |
| 2015 - Gabrial Leicester - 1st of 10 (6/1) | SIS Handicap |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Lincoln Handicap Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for Flat Racing.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
