“The Lincoln” needs little introduction. Its beginnings were unremarkable; it was first run in August 1849 as the two-mile Lincolnshire Handicap run at the Carholme racecourse on the outskirts of Lincoln. An additional race called the Lincoln Spring Handicap over a mile and a half became the feature of a new meeting in March 1853. That meant there were two Lincolns a year until 1857, when the August meeting ended. It was reduced to a mile and in 1865 by which time its title was the Lincolnshire Handicap.
Other than when early or late Easters dictate changes to the fixture list, it has been part of the opening meeting of the turf season ever since.
For the best part of a hundred years the Lincoln was also known as the first half of the Spring Double. Successful ante-post bets coupling the Lincoln and Grand National winners could yield huge payouts. A book could be written about the Lincoln winners. Ironically, the best horse to run in it did not win it; Sceptre, the three-year-old filly who would go on to win four classics, was beaten a head.
The names of the winners from 1926-37 were used for the board game Totopoly.
The Lincoln course could not pay its way and its closure in 1964 compelled the transfer of its races to Doncaster. Understandably, the “shire” in its big race’s title had to be removed.
In the 21st century the reduction in field sizes due to safety factors and a better quality programme of all-weather races in the winter months have pushed the standard of the race up. Most winners now carry at least nine stone, whereas in the hundred years before 1998 only six successfully bore such a burden. One of them was Frankincense in 1968, trained by John Oxley. Barry Hills was travelling head lad at the time. Convinced at the horse’s ability, he won enough by backing him from 66/1 to 5/1 to set himself up as a trainer.
Nowadays winners from the bigger stables always evoke the comment with hindsight “a Group race horse in a handicap”.
Wars and racecourse redevelopments meant that substitute races have been run at Lingfield, Pontefract, Redcar and Newcastle.
Sources include Chris Pitt’s A Long Time Gone and John Slusar’s Greyhoundderby.com website