Doncaster hosts the eagerly-awaited start to the 2014 British Flat Season on turf with the two-day William Hill Lincoln Meeting this Saturday and Sunday (March 29 & 30). There are seven races on both days with the action on Saturday beginning at 1-30 p.m., while Sunday’s programme – Mother’s Day Family Fun Day – starts at 2-15 p.m.
The William Hill Lincoln Handicap – a famous Heritage Handicap over the straight mile which traditionally begins the new Flat season – is the highlight on Saturday, offering prize money of £100,000. One of the main betting heats of the British season, the race was first held at Doncaster in 1965, and the last two winners – Levitate (last year) and Brae Hill (2012) – are both trained at Malton and are likely to feature in Saturday’s renewal. Indeed, Levitate will attempt to become the first horse to win back-to-back victories in the race since Babur achieved the feat in 1957 & 1958 at the now-defunct Lincoln racecourse. Brae Hill finished a very close third in last year’s race. Also prominent in the ante-post betting market is Whispering Warrior, the recent winner of the Lincoln Trial on the All-Weather surface at Wolverhampton.
Saturday’s action also features The William Hill Spring Mile – the £45,000 ‘consolation’ race for horses entered for, but eliminated from the big race, while the Cammidge Trophy, a Listed race for talented sprinters over six furlongs under the William Hill banner, is named in honour of a former chairman of Doncaster Racecourse and Mayor of Doncaster, the late Albert Cammidge OBE.
The opening on Saturday is The Doncaster Mile, a Listed race supported by William Hill, while precocious two-year-olds make their debuts on turf in the Brocklesby Conditions Stakes – the traditional contest at this meeting for juveniles under the patronage of William Hill.
Other highlights on the opening day are The Park Hill Hospital Universal Maiden Stakes for three-year-old and The Harriet De-Vere Powell Handicap Stakes for apprentice jockeys. The latter race launches The ‘Go Racing in Yorkshire’ Future Stars Apprentice Series – a series of nine races for young riders on the Yorkshire courses, now in its second year – which concludes at Doncaster in November.
William Hill also put their name to three races on Sunday, including The Doncaster Shield – a Conditions contest over one mile and a half. The Crown Hotel Bawtry supports a middle-distance handicap race for gentleman amateur riders, while maiden three-year-olds take part in The John Smith’s Maiden Stakes. The Brain Tumour Research Handicap Stakes (three-year-olds) and The Universal Recycling Handicap Stakes are both held over the extended one mile and a quarter.
To celebrate the start of the Flat season, the Doncaster racecourse team are championing the ‘Flat Cap’ by donning William Hill-branded flat caps. During the opening day, over 1,000 limited edition flat caps will be distributed to racegoers, who will be invited to upload photos of themselves wearing the headgear to the William Hill Twitter page using the designated hashtag #TheFlatIsBack – the best ones will get re-tweeted and have the chance to win an iPad mini.
At the conclusion of racing on Saturday, Kasabian tribute band, ‘Kazabian’ will perform live on stage in the ground floor of the main Lazarus Stand.
In recognition of Mothering Sunday, families are very much to the fore on Sunday with a host of attractions for young racegoers, including appearances by Katsuma and Poppet from the Moshi Monsters.
The giant screen, situated opposite the main stands will enable racegoers to see all of the action. A shuttle bus service will be in operation from the railway station.