SBK Lincoln draw: which stall will your horse jump from at Doncaster?

After deliberating which staying chasers jump fluently out of tacky ground all winter, switching your punting brain to the turf flat season doesn’t always go without a hitch. Not only do you need to shift your focus to speed from stamina, but the draw becomes an extremely important factor to consider.

It is rare to see runners in big-field heritage handicaps congregate in one group - the field generally splits across the track in order to get cover - and therefore the emphasis on a horse’s starting position is dramatically increased. On Thursday, SBK ambassador Nicola Currie and representative Pascal Lemesre conducted the draw for this Saturday’s SBK Lincoln in partnership with Sky Sports Racing.

Connections of the unbeaten Mujtaba and unexposed Saleymm, who topped the ante-post markets, might have hoped for a middle draw to avoid their entrant being stranded on a wing. However, the pair will break from stalls two and three respectively. Only two of the last nine winners have jumped from a single-figure gate.

Modern News, who will be the mount of impressive apprentice jockey Harry Davies, drew stall eight and will have the option of racing wherever his young pilot considers the quickest part of the track. 

Those drawn high include topweight Safe Voyage (17), last year’s runner-up Brunch (14) and French import Darkness (20), who attracted some support earlier this week. Likely pacesetter Marie’s Diamond (16) and recent all-weather winner Notre Belle Bete (21) will also start towards the stands’ side rail.

There appears to be pace on either side of the track, but it would be no surprise to see those drawn high gain an early advantage. Whether that will hold up for the remainder of the race is far from guaranteed, especially as the majority of the fancied runners have been allocated single-figure draws.

Full draw

1. Safe Voyage (stall 17)
2. Modern News (8)
3. Brunch (14)
4. Marie’s Diamond (16)
5. Johan (4)
6. What’s The Story (10)
7. Mujtaba (2)
8. Irish Admiral (1)
9. Saleymm (3)
10. Revich (11)
11. Darkness (20)
12. Fame And Acclaim (22)
13. Ametist (13)
14. Another Batt (18)
15. Scottish Summit (15)
16. United Front (7)
17. Notre Belle Bete (21)
18. Eagleway (9)
19. Hortzadar (12)
20. Teodolina (6)
21. Rogue Bear (19)
22. Broken Spear (5)