Blythe Knight Heads Weights For William Hill Lincoln

Blythe Knight (9st 10lb, 20/1) heads the weights for the first major race of the British Flat turf season, the ¨125,000 William Hill Lincoln, run over a mile at Doncaster on Saturday, March 22. The historic handicap returns to Town Moor in 2008, having been run at Redcar in 2006 and Newcastle in 2007 while Doncaster underwent its successful ¨34-million redevelopment.

Trained by John Quinn, the talented and versatile eight-year-old Blythe Knight won the William Hill Lincoln in 2006 at Redcar and showed his class with a victory in the Group Three Diomed Stakes at Epsom in 2007, while he also won in Grade Two company over hurdles at Aintree at last year's Grand National meeting.

Last year's William Hill Lincoln was won by the William Haggas-trained Very Wise (9st, 16/1), who will have to carry an extra 3lb in 2008 if he is to become the first horse to win back-to-back Lincolns for half a century since Babur scored in 1957 and 1958. Haggas, who also trained the 1992 William Hill Lincoln victor High Low, could also be represented by the current 11/1 market leader Mutajarred (9st), a lightly-raced performer who won three times in 2007 and Heaven Knows (8st 8lb, 16/1), who was last seen out when finishing sixth in the totesport.com November Handicap over 12 furlongs at Doncaster on November 10.

Irish trainer Ger Lyons, who made some very successful forays to Britain last year, is hoping that Little White Lie (8st 13lb, 16/1) can get the 2008 season off to a good start in the William Hill Lincoln, a race that has eluded the Irish since the Dermot Weld-trained Saving Mercy scored in 1984.

The four-year-old started the season off last year with an impressive three-length win in the Ladbrokes Madrid Handicap at the Curragh in March, before just failing by a length in the Vodafone Group Services Handicap at Epsom in June. He ran fifth behind Many Colours in the Foxrock Handicap at Leopardstown prior to ending a light campaign with a game third in a premier handicap at the Galway Festival, when beaten less than a length by Hard Rock City and Warrior Key.

Lyons was more than pleased with the latter run, saying: 'He's a very solid horse and was just beaten in a big handicap at Galway at the end of the year. That was a hell of a run for a three-year-old.

'He's a soft ground horse and we'll see how things work out with regard to the William Hill Lincoln. It was always our intention to hold an entry and we'll see how we're going closer to the race.

'He won on his first run back last season. He's come back in this month and looks to be going well. We had great success in Britain last year and, when we bring them over, we hope that they are in the money.

'It was definitely worthwhile last year but we can only travel if we've got the horses for the races. The quality seems to be growing in the yard. Little White Lie nearly completed a double for the yard at Epsom last June when Howya Now Kid won the Listed Vodafone Surrey Stakes.'

Sir Michael Stoute, successful with Stream Of Gold three years ago, could be represented by Lang Shining (8st 3lb, 12/1 second favourite). Like Steam Of Gold, Lang Shilling is owned by Ballymacoll Stud and has a similar profile, having had a light campaign last season which included a win in a mile maiden at Newmarket in July.

Zaahid (8st 6lb, 14/1), a winner over a mile on soft ground at Haydock last term is one of two entries for Barry Hills along with Giganticus (9st 1lb, 16/1), successful twice over seven furlongs at Newmarket last season. Hills won the 2004 William Hill Lincoln with Pablo.

The William Hill Lincoln is one of the few races to have eluded Newmarket trainer John Gosden but he has an interesting contender this year in Escape Route (8st 9lb, 14/1), whose sole success came over nine furlongs at Goodwood last season before he ran a respectable race to finish midfield behind his stable companion Pipedreamer in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket.

A horse that has attracted support in the ante-post market is the Gay Kelleway-trained Fajr (9st 7lb, 16/1). Runner-up in the Buckingham Palace Handicap at Royal Ascot last season, the Green Desert gelding made a pleasing return to action when successful under top weight at Lingfield on January 19.

The first forfeit stage for the William Hill Lincoln is on Tuesday, January 29.