'Invasion' plans in place (From Gazette & Herald)

'Invasion' plans in place

Stand by for a North Yorkshire invasion in the newly-sited Lincoln Handicap.

That's the strong suggestion following the publication of the entries for the first major event of the new Flat turf season which is to be held on March 25.

With Doncaster, the traditional home of this one-mile cavalry charge, undergoing a massive refurbishment, this season's Lincoln - sponsored by bookmakers William Hill and boasting £100,000 in prize money - will be staged at Redcar.

A bumper 123 horses have been entered for this famous handicap, including no fewer than 40 from North Yorkshire stables.

Kevin Ryan, based at Hambleton, leads the way with an eight-strong entry, bigger than any trainer in the country, and including new recruits such as Kamanda Laugh, Divine Gift and Josh, and also regular stalwarts such as My Paris, Uhoomagoo and Cardinal Venture.

Malton trainer Richard Fahey and his Norton colleague John Quinn have four horses apiece from which to choose.

Fahey has pencilled in Claret And Amber, Freeloader, Wing Commander and Realism, though the latter, twice a winner at York last season, is unlikely to run, having recently been sent to Dubai for the 11-week long Carnival meeting.

Blythe Knight, Focus Group and Kings Quay, all new additions this season to Quinn's Highfield establishment, have been given the Lincoln option, along with Zomerlust, a long-term resident in the Ryedale yard.

Mick Easterby has three horses among the large pool of entries - the tried-and-tested Blue Spinnaker, the mud-loving Mezuzah and Gentleman's Deal, who is currently doing his prospects of Lincoln glory no harm at all.

Purchased last autumn out of Ed Dunlop's Newmarket stable, Gentleman's Deal, talented though he was, had, or so it seemed, not been easy to keep right at HQ.

But Easterby, a past master at preparing horses with leg problems, has already got the horse firmly back on track, placing him to win at Southwell and Wolverhampton in recent weeks.

Quite what the future will hold for Gentleman's Deal is anyone's guess, but he appeals as a likely sort for the Lincoln, a race which surprisingly Easterby has never won during his long and hugely successful training career in Sheriff Hutton.

Tim Easterby, Mick's nephew, has a single entry in the race - Harvest Warrior - which his father, Peter, managed to win twice with Old Tom and Bronze Hill, while Norton-based Brian Ellison has added his seasoned handicapper Everest to the list.

Julie Camacho has a couple of entries, Flighty Fellow, formerly trained by Tim Easterby, and Rio Riva, a progressive campaigner last season. Meanwhile, Nigel Tinkler (Indian Feather) and Robert Gray (Bailieborough) make up the Ryedale assault.

Slighty further afield in North Yorkhire, however, the likes of David Nicholls, Mark Johnston and James Bethell, all of whom have two entries, add further muscle to the home team defence.

Last year's Lincoln provided Newmarket-based Sir Michael Stoute with his first-ever victory in the race, courtesy of Stream Of Gold, who was ridden to victory by Robert Winston, thereby providing a launch pad for each of them into the season.

Stoute has two entries this time, Notnowcato and King's Majesty, both of whom are at the forefront of the ante-post market.

Unlike at Doncaster, where the Lincoln was restricted to 24 runners, the safety limit at Redcar for the straight mile is 30, which means this year's race will potentially host the largest field for the race in 38 years. Given the number of entries from Ryedale, and wider afield, it's probably just as well.

Ryedale-based amateur rider Oliver Williams enjoyed a red-letter day at Wetherby on Saturday when Polar Gunner - last week's Gazette & Herald's Teaser Tip - bounded home with plenty to spare in the handicap hurdle.

The 14-lengths success achieved by the Malcolm Jefferson-trained gelding, the 13-8 favourite, provided Williams with his first winner under National Hunt Rules.

The 21-year-old Lincolnshire-born rider, who had previously ridden two point-to-point winners, joined Jefferson's Norton yard last autumn.

"He's a real good lad, who works hard and rides well. He's a particularly good schooling jockey and I'm really pleased for him that he's ridden a winner," said Malcolm.

Incidentally, plans for Roman Ark, a recent Ayr winner and Jefferson's potential stablestar as an up-and-coming chaser, remain fluid. However, Malcolm revealed: "There's nothing definite, because races aren't easy to find, but he just might go to Southwell at the end of the month."

Oldenway's success at Southwell last week may not have rocked the racing world, but it did have special significance for Richard Fahey.

The handicapper was the 50th winner Fahey has trained for the Staunton family, who are based at Castle Bar in the west of Ireland.

"They have been great supporters of mine," said Richard.

"I trained for John Staunton for many years. The best of his horses would have been Inch Perfect and, since he died, I have trained for his sons, John and Jimmy."

Oldenway has certainly done his best to help reach the half-century milestone. His latest success, achieved by eight lengths at the main expense of the odds-on favourite, Spittin Image, was his eighth career success.

Paul Hanagan, Fahey's stable-jockey, who was aboard Oldenway, finished off the week with a double at Wolverhampton on Friday, scoring on Fahey's Danelor, a five-lengths winner, and the Ian Semple-trained Millagros, who prevailed by three-quarters of a length.

Gyles Parkin is back in winning form after a nightmare second half of the year in 2005.

Indeed, the Norton jockey's success at Southwell last week on Cotton Eyed Joe, trained by Alan Swinbank, near Richmond, in North Yorkshire, was Gyles' first winner for more than seven months and after a frustrating sequence of 91 losing rides.

Parkin, one of the area's journeyman jockeys, was caught up in the City of London Police investigation into alleged corruption last year, and although he was subsequently totally cleared, his well-publicised arrest did little to help his career.

Hopefully, with that unsavoury episode now well behind him, Parkin can attract more riding opportunities.

His wide-margin success on Cotton Eyed Joe, who was a hot favourite, proved that, provided he has a mount with a winning chance, Gyles Parkin is more than capable of doing the rest.

Bang And Blame, who had little to recommend him at the beginning of this season, has proved a startling money-spinner for trainer Mick Easterby and owner Edward Wilkin.

The gelding, who has had his share of problems down the years, has been in rude health in recent months and last week recorded his third Sedgefield win of the winter when scoring by an emphatic 20 lengths.

The handicapper may soon catch up with Bang And Blame, but his achievements so far, with Michael McAlister in the saddle, have been nothing short of remarkable.

As though staging a classic - the Ladbrokes St Leger - in 2006 were not enough excitement and prestige for York racecourse, our major racecourse is now celebrating the founding of a new top-quality race next summer.

With prize money of £100,000 and Group Two status on offer, the 10-furlong event will be aimed at top-flight middle-distance horses and will be part of the popular Music Showcase Day on Saturday, July 29.

Finally, congratulations to Peter Beaumont, recovering nicely from heart surgery, who sent out an 11-1 winner last week.

Moor Spirit, ably assisted by Russ Garritty, made no mistake at Kelso on Friday when romping home with five lengths to spare in the handicap chase over an extended two miles.

Updated: 15:49 Wednesday, January 18, 2006