Opulence, Optimism, and the Road to the Summer Festivals - By Cornelius Lysaght

Forget the daffodils, the looming end of the financial year or the clocks going forward, the real way to know that spring is upon us, and summer is only just around the corner, is when tips start flying around for the Lincoln at Doncaster.

The historic one-mile handicap at the end of March, sponsored by William Hill and the first part of the longstanding tradition of the ‘Spring Double’ (with the Grand National), so a major betting race, continues to herald the months when most flat racing is on turf.

‘The Lincoln at Doncaster’ has a certain ring to it – albeit a slightly geographically confusing one – gained since being switched to Donny in 1965 when Lincoln racecourse, which staged what was then called the Lincolnshire Handicap, was closed down along with other established but cash-starved venues at places like Lewes in Sussex, in Birmingham and at Bogside, which had staged the Scottish Grand National.

As an aside, there had been meetings on the Carholme in Lincoln since the 1770s, and (racing quiz question alert) the track, whose stand remains today as a local landmark, holds the record for the largest number of runners ever to contest a race, a pretty extraordinary 58 for the Lincolnshire Handicap of 1948. The film here is terrific: https://www.nhrm.co.uk/the-1948-lincoln-handicap/

These days no more than 22 are permitted to line up, with the Spring Mile, earlier on Lincoln day, a consolation race for those not quite making the cut.

So, talk will soon be turning to the Craven, the Guineas and to the Epsom Classics, and, of course, to what Opulence Thoroughbreds might have for Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and beyond.

Well, the team is looking forward to some potentially very exciting times ahead, hopefully some of them at the marquee summer festivals, especially as a series of positive gallops reports have been received at HQ.

And it’s not just the messages from trainers in Lambourn, Kingsclere, Newmarket and North Yorkshire that have been adding to the excitement, because, as far as I can see, the Racing Post’s famously shrewd pundits have also been liking what they have been seeing in Opulence silks on the racecourse.

Let me explain. Writers in the trade paper employ a range of shorthand, starting with expressions like “shaped encouragingly” and “an above average sort” which represent ‘solid’ praise – still highly desirable – and which in my experience more often than not proves accurate.

The William Haggas-trained Silver Chamber received the former comment when fourth at Newmarket on debut in November, a few days before Addison Grey was put in the latter category after being steered by Arc-winning jockey Rossa Ryan to the smoothest of first-time-out successes at Southwell. All being well, both will hit the track again in April.

However, use of “one to keep onside” (Marchogion, when 3rd at Lingfield, February) or “will be interesting in handicaps” (Middleton View, 2nd, Kempton, also February) can be rated even bigger compliments.

That is not quite saying hurry up and re-mortgage to have your absolute brains on next time, but it is definitely a good, hard elbow-nudge to put horses like them straight into your tracker, with a plea to not, for goodness sake, forget.

Team Balding is looking at an All Weather Finals race on Good Friday at Newcastle for Marchogion, while Clive Cox could send Middleton View for a nice prize at one of Pontefract’s early fixtures.

Meanwhile Bridget’s View, which rewarded her group of owners with a spirited victory at Kempton, could be out at the Craven Meeting, while another likeable type (my shorthand for a massive personal favourite) Magellan Cloud, the Redcar winner, might take in a valuable race at Musselburgh around Easter.

Now, I am not saying that any of these are definite Ascot or Goodwood types, but nor am I saying they are not going to be Ascot or Goodwood types…fingers crossed, and good luck to all.