The Irish Lincolnshire Handicap is the first big betting race of the new turf flat season in Ireland.
The Irish Lincolnshire Handicap takes place on the 26th of March 2024.
It takes place over a mile at the Curragh in late March or early April and is open to four-year-olds and upwards.
Sweet Lightning famously won this race two years’ after winning the equivalent Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster.
Find out more about the Irish Lincoln:
Contents
- 1 Race Overview – The Irish Lincoln
- 2 Famous Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Winners
- 3 Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Previous Winners
- 4 Irish Lincolnshire Handicap 2023 Winner
- 5 Key Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Trials
- 6 Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Betting Trends
- 7 Irish Lincolnshire Handicap – Top Trainers and Jockeys
- 8 Betting on the Irish Lincolnshire Handicap
- 9 Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Facts
- 10 Summary of Irish Lincolnshire Handicap
- 11 Other March Related Articles
Race Overview – The Irish Lincoln
The Irish Lincolnshire is a Premier Handicap horse racing event run at the Curragh over a distance of 1-mile and takes place at the beginning of the Flat season in March.
Horses aged four years or older are welcome to compete in the race.
Check out our guides to all the other Irish Premier Handicap horse races.
Some of the horses participating in the Irish Lincolnshire Handicap will be spotted in other races throughout the year. Make sure to keep an eye on the horses to see how they perform or place your bets on ante-post betting.
Check out our Curragh horse racing betting tips page if you are looking for more racing tips for events at the Curragh Racecourse.
For all Curragh races, our finest racing tipsters give free horse racing tips!
Famous Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Winners
Sweet Lightning was trained by Tommy Carmody when winning this race at 10-1 in 2013. He had won the English Lincoln in 2011 as a 16-1 chance when trained by Michael Dods and ridden by Johnny Murtagh. He was twice placed in the Group 3 Amethyst Stakes at Leopardstown but was never able to add to his Irish Lincoln success.
Brendan Brackan was also a former big race winner to strike in this race. He had won the Topaz Mile at Galway in 2013 and the Group 3 Solonaway Stakes at the Curragh.
The Irish Lincoln was held at Naas in 2017, running on strongly to win by a length and a half. On his next start he finished third in the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes at the same course behind Classic-winning Minding.
Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Previous Winners
Here are the previous winners for the Irish Lincolnshire Handicap.
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Levitate | 5 | Darren Egan | John Quinn |
| 2014 | Ocean Tempest | 5 | Adam Kirby | John Ryan |
| 2015 | Gabrial | 6 | Tony Hamilton | Richard Fahey |
| 2016 | Secret Brief | 4 | William Buick | Charlie Appleby |
| 2017 | Bravery | 4 | Daniel Tudhope | David O’Meara |
| 2018 | Addeybb | 4 | James Doyle | William Haggas |
| 2019 | Auxerre | 4 | James Doyle | Charlie Appleby |
| no race 2020 [b] | ||||
| 2021 | Haqeeqy | 4 | Benoit de la Sayette | John and Thady Gosden |
| 2022 | Johan | 5 | Silvestre de Sousa | Mick Channon |
| 2023 | Migration | 7 | Benoit de la Sayette | David Menuisier |
Irish Lincolnshire Handicap 2023 Winner
Key Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Trials
There are no obvious trials for this race with almost all of the horses having their first run of the new turf season.
Several have been busy on the all-weather but this typically attracts a slighter better higher class animal.
Winners can go on to contest some of the big summer mile handicaps, both in Ireland and Britain.
Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Betting Trends
There have been three winning favourites in the past ten renewals; Stuccador (2014) at 11-2, On The Go Again (2018) at 6-1 and Raadobarg (2022) at 9-2.
Most of the recent winners have been well supported, considering the wide-open nature of this early season handicap.
The longest-priced winner in the last ten years was 16-1 chance Brenan Brackan in 2017. That horse also bucked the trend in terms of age, winning as an eight-year-old in a race typically dominated by horses aged four to six.
No blinkered runner has won this race in the past twenty seasons and all held an official rating of 83 or higher.
Irish Lincolnshire Handicap – Top Trainers and Jockeys
The two leading trainers in the last twenty years have been two-time winners Adrian McGuinness and Ger Lyons.
McGuinness won it with Victram in 2005 and Bowerman in 2020.
Lyons struck with Brendan Brackan in 2017 and Karawaan in 2019.
British-based trainer Richard Fahey has sent over 15 runners during that time without success while Jim Bolger is 0/20 during the same period.
The leading jockey in the last 20 years is Wayne Lordan with three victories; Tolpuddle (2004), Pollen (2009) and Onenightidreamed (2015).
Chris Hayes and Gary Carroll have both won it twice during that time.
Betting on the Irish Lincolnshire Handicap
The record of favourites in this race is favourable for such a competitive event and most recent winners have had plenty of support.
It may pay to keep an eye on the market movers ahead of the race which always attracts a large field for each-way betting.
Irish Lincolnshire Handicap Facts
- The Irish Lincolnshire Handicap is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older.
- It is run at The Curragh over a distance of 1 mile, and it is scheduled to take place each year in March.
Summary of Irish Lincolnshire Handicap
Thank you for reading our Irish Lincolnshire Handicap guide.
We have looked at the betting, tips, facts, stats and more, so you have all the information you need about this great Irish handicap.
A season highlight!
