Tag Archive for: Lincoln

Migration provides De La Sayette with second Lincoln success

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Benoit De La Sayette produced top-weight Migration with a perfectly-timed challenge to claim his second victory in the Pertemps Network Lincoln at Doncaster.

Previously successful in the traditional feature on the first day of the British Flat season aboard Haqeeqy in 2021, De La Sayette was crowned champion apprentice last term and it is not hard to see why.

Migration, trained by David Menuisier, won valuable handicaps at Goodwood and York in the summer of 2021 but only made it to the track three times last season.

Making his first appearance since finishing fourth in a Listed event at Newmarket in October, the seven-year-old was an 18-1 chance for his Town Moor return and benefited from the coolest of cool rides from his young rider.

Entering the final furlong it looked like proven mud lover Baradar might emerge triumphant after travelling smoothly into contention, with the well supported Awaal also right in the mix.

But having raced at the rear of the field for much of the straight-mile contest, Migration powered home against the stands’ rail and had a length- and-a-quarter in hand over Awaal at the line.

De La Sayette said: “He’s a horse that likes to come from off the pace. He came from off the pace in the Balmoral on Champions Day but I could never find the gaps. He finished off that race really strong, so we thought we’d try the same tactics today.

“The Lincoln is the Lincoln and it is very hard to find the gaps, so I’m very happy I found them at the right time. He really ran on in the last furlong and hit the line strong.

“To carry top-weight in that ground, it was a great performance. I ride a lot for Mr Menuisier, we have a good connection, and he told me to just do the same as at Ascot, as he just loves to come from off the pace. Luckily he was right.

“Last year went so well for me and to win this again, two years after winning on Haqeeqy right at the start of my career, is a fairytale.”

Menuisier said: “Not many top weights who are seven win the Lincoln but he’s so lightly raced, he doesn’t have much mileage.

“He’s been giving us the right signals all the way through so we were actually quite confident. He flies on this ground, anything from good to soft to heavy is absolutely fine.

David Menuisier saddled Migration to win the Lincoln
David Menuisier saddled Migration to win the Lincoln (Simon Cooper/PA)

“We’ll have to go into Pattern races now. He’s won that off 107 with a 3lb claim, he’ll be around 110 now, so I think that’s the end of handicaps and we’ll look at black type races – hopefully he can handle it.

“We’ll be patient anyway, because he’s very good fresh. He’s already made his money for this year and next – it’s a great way to start the season.”

Joint-trainer Simon Crisford said of the runner-up Awaal: “He’s run really well, I’m very happy with him. We’ve got a lovely horse for the rest of the season ahead of us and he likes that ground.

“It’s the name of the game and you’ve got to take it (defeat) on the chin.

“We might step him up in distance.”

Of the third-placed Baradar, trainer George Boughey said: “I’m very happy, he’s run a big race and I think seven furlongs is his ideal trip.

“He bolted up here over seven on this ground. Kevin (Stott) said he just didn’t quite see it out as well as possibly stouter-bred horses.”

Fellowes hoping sky is the limit for Atrium in the Lincoln

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Charlie Fellowes is looking to get the Flat season off to a flying start as Atrium takes aim at the Lincoln on the opening day of the campaign.

The four-year-old looked to be on the up last season, hitting his stride in a series of one-mile handicaps and signing off at the end of the term with back-to-back wins at Newbury and then Doncaster.

The latter success, a half-length triumph at the St Leger meeting, was against a field of 15 rivals over the Lincoln distance.

The big handicap is therefore naturally the Highclere-owned gelding’s immediate target, a race for which he is presently a 12-1 shot off a rating of 100.

“He’s really well, this has been the plan for a very long time,” Fellowes said.

“We wanted to run him in the Balmoral at the end of last year but he just missed out so we took the decision to call it a day, protect his handicap mark and aim for the Lincoln first thing this year.

“He won over course and distance so it seemed a very obvious move.

“He’s in good order at home, he worked on the grass on Saturday and looked great. He’s got another big piece of work to go and that should put him spot on for Saturday week.

“He’s not a difficult horse to get fit, he’s not a big, gross horse, he’s a light-framed horse and he’s not one that’s going to need a run or a racecourse gallop or anything like that.

“He keeps himself very fit at home anyway. I’m very happy with where is and we’re really looking forward to it.”

Atrium looked versatile with regards to ground last season, winning on good and soft, but Fellowes noted his best performances came on a surface with slightly more ease in it and that was another factor that pointed to an early-season Lincoln bid.

“What we worked out halfway through the year is that he is clearly a lot better when he can get his toe in,” he said.

“He’s a beautiful mover and you’d have no problems running him on quick ground, he’d never get jarred up but he just seems much happier with a bit of ease in the ground.

“You wouldn’t get that from looking at him because he’s a very good mover and he is happy on all grounds, but there is a definite correlation between his performances and being able to get his toe in.

“That was another really attractive reason for putting him away and going straight for the Lincoln.”

Fellowes is also formulating plans for Vintage Stakes winner Marbaan.

Marbaan winning the Vintage Stakes
Marbaan winning the Vintage Stakes (Adam Davy/PA)

That victory came over seven furlongs, but two beaten runs at the latter end of the term have caused the trainer to ponder a return to a sprint distance of six furlongs.

In the early stages of his career Marbaan ran twice over the trip, finishing third on debut and then winning by five lengths in a Nottingham novice last June.

Though a Guineas entry has been made and could still be pursued, Fellowes is expecting the Oasis Dream colt to instead drop back in trip and is thinking of races like the Pavilion Stakes at Ascot as a first port of call.

He said: “Marbaan is good, he looks really well and he’s done well over the winter. He’s not a small horse and what he did last year was very good because he’s quite a big boy, not massive but definitely not small.

“We’re in no rush because there’s nothing much for him, he’s in the Guineas but we put him in that just in case and I don’t think he’s really a Guineas horse.

“I’m hoping that we actually end up coming back to sprinting, I just felt, especially in Ireland (sixth in the National Stakes), he finished his races very tamely.

“Although he won a Group Two over seven (furlongs) at Goodwood, he was stone cold that day over the sharpest seven in the country and he was smuggled into the race.

“We had the Greenham pencilled in for him as possible starting point, but I think we could end up starting with something like the Pavilion at Ascot and see where we go from there.

“It depends how he’s working through April, if he isn’t showing me the speed I’m expecting then we could end up in the Greenham and then think about an English Guineas or a French Guineas, but I think we might end up coming back to six furlongs.”