The gates opened for the turf season to great fanfare as the Lincoln Handicap headlined a meeting filled with class. The famous handicap stretches back decades and is the first leg of the traditional "Spring Double", twinned with the Grand National. 

Elsewhere on the card, there would be listed races for milers and sprinters as trainers unwrapped their talented horses for the first time this year. The Brocklesby Stakes is the first two-year-old race of the season which is often unpredictable and a middle distance maiden can often produce a horse to follow for the remainder of the season. Heavy ground would be on the menu which was to be expected for the time of the year and many horses will improve for the outing.

Race One: The Doncaster Mile Stakes - Listed Race - 1 mile - Runners: 7

The season got into full swing with the valuable Doncaster Mile kicking off proceedings. The listed race over the straight mile has become a useful bridge between high class handicappers and group level races in the past as well as an easier assignment for others who have dropped down in grade to gain the confidence of a win. 

In 2016, Belardo dropped down to this grade in successful fashion which then set him for another win at Group One level in the Lockinge two months later. Chindit is another recent winner of this race and became a regular in the frame of high class races in the last two seasons. The mudlark Astral Beau coped best with the conditions last year to win this easily for Pam Sly. 

Last year's winner Astral Beau returned to defend her crown as the heavy ground conditions would play to her strengths. In opposition, she faced some very talented types. Roger Varian's four year old Charyn was campaigned at the highest level last year, placing in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. The grey colt took a big drop in class for his return to action. The seven year old Dashing Roger is another to prove himself as very adept on deep underfoot conditions and won his final two starts of last season on heavy ground. He stepped back into pattern company for his seasonal debut. The newly-gelded Grey's Monument had a light campaign in 2023, but the four year old improved to win at listed level at Kempton in December. Holloway Boy made headlines by winning at Royal Ascot on his racecourse debut in 2022 and ran to a good standard for the rest of that year. However, the Karl Burke-trained gelding raced just twice last year and would make his first start since Royal Ascot last summer. The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Knight looked set for a big future as an unbeaten two year old, but was winless in 2023. However, he would go close on a few occasions. Pardishakh ran to a useful level in his native France at the start of his career and moved to Britain with Roger Varian last summer. He would have just one race for the Newmarket trainer and has since moved on to David O'Meara's yard, a stable who often do very well with new recruits.

Winner: CHARYN (#2) (Dark Angel x Futoon) - S. De Sousa - R. Varian 

The gates crashed open to signify the official start of the flat turf season of 2024. The seven strong field got away to a level break and there would be plenty of competition for the early lead. Despite the small field, tactics were still split by the jockeys and two groups soon appeared. In the centre, Grey's Monument led Dashing Roger and Holloway Boy, while in the bigger group, Astral Beau did the donkey work in the lead. Approaching the final two furlongs, Astral Beau took over as overall leader but Charyn was spotted travelling easily. The grey nosed ahead in the closing stages before pulling further clear of last year's winner Astral Beau by over three lengths. Grey's Monument held on for third while Holloway Boy plugged on into fourth.
It would be a return to winning ways for Charyn, a smart juvenile in 2022 who placed in the Greenham, St James's Palace and Sussex Stakes last year. Clearly enjoying the lesser task, the son of Dark Angel showed his class for Roger Varian. It would also be a first big race success for Silvestre de Sousa on his return to Britain. The former Champion Jockey endured a tumultuous spell in Hong Kong, but was back to his best here. 

Race Two: The EBF Brocklesby Stakes - 2-Year-Olds only - Class Two - 5 Furlongs - Runners: 15

Usually the first race of the card, the Brocklesby Stakes is the traditional starting point of this year's latest generation of racehorses. The entire field of two year olds were on their first day of school and behaviour was closely scrutinised by those in the paddock. The five furlong sprint is often contested by speedy and early developing types, but recent renewals have seen a higher class of winner. The Last Lion won this in 2016 before going on to win the Middle Park Stakes later in the season, Chipotle would follow up his win in this race with a Royal Ascot win in the Windsor Castle Stakes and the explosive winning debut of Persian Force saw him win the July Stakes and place at the highest level. This year's lineup saw plenty of new names on the sires list with the likes of Mohaather and Without Parole represented by their first crop of juveniles.  

The racecard was headed by Atherstone Warrior, who ran for the Alice Haynes yard and was a half brother to the useful Stay Classy. The Bill Turner stable is renowned for winning this race six times in the past with his last success coming in 2013. The veteran handler was back again with the Aclaim colt Bob The Bandit. David Evans's stable is a regular in these events and he introduced the gelding Clay Shoveler. Dukes Of Haather would provide Group Two winner Mohaather with his first runner as a sire and made his debut for Adrian Keatley. The Craig Lidster stable sent up Ettorio from their Easingwold base to make his debut, the colt was related to plenty of winners. Stan Moore is another trainer who is often seen in these races and he was represented by Funalltheway, a son of Ribchester. The Nicholls surname is well established with sprinters and trainer Adrian saddled his newcomer General Gordon, a half brother to smart handicapper Hafeet Alain. Declan Carroll would be another local yard in the race with the speedily bred Hidden Hero, a son of Land Force. The Nick Bradley Racing outfit often invest heavily on juvenile talent and they ran Grant Tuer's filly Indication Ember who was bred to handle soft ground. Big spending owners Amo Racing introduced Persian Force in brilliant style two years ago and relied on Mystical Elegance this year. The Dominic Ffrench Davis-trained filly is by a mare who was a talented juvenile on the track. The jockey turned trainer Darryll Holland ran his debutante filly Paddy's Courage, the first foal of a fast racemare. The second runner for the David Evans yard would be Roysdelight, another gelding. Group One winning miler Without Parole was represented by his first runner on track with Sunny Time, trained by the duo of Peter Charalambous and James Clutterbuck.  Theatrically represented the dual purpose yard of Amy Murphy and hailed from a talented family owned by the late Queen Elizabeth II. The rapidly progressive stable of Dylan Cunha saddled Zminiature, a chestnut colt by Territories. 

Winner: ZMINIATURE (#11) (Territories x Zmile) - R. Clutterbuck - D. Cunha

The swirling, blustery winds threatened to cause issues with this group of unraced horses, but despite a few whinnies and cautious steps towards the stalls, the field of fifteen all walked into the gates. When the stalls opened, a few were still clueless with Funalltheway, Dukes of Haather and the favourite Mystical Elegance all losing ground in the opening stages. Paddy's Courage showed bright early speed in the opening stages and was the clear leader at halfway. Approaching the final two furlongs, it looked as if Paddys Courage had his rivals in trouble with plenty showing inexperience, but Zminiature had made progress out of the pack to challenge. As Paddys Courage's rapid early exploits began to take a toll, Zminiature took over in front and showed a good attitude to hold on to the win. Bill Turner's Bob The Bandit was another to finish the race well to take second, Indication Ember showed promise with a debut third while Athestone Warrior and Theatrically caught the eye in fourth and places. 
The winner would be another step on the ladder for Newmarket trainer Dylan Cunha, who is predicted to have a big year in 2024. The chestnut son of Territories comes from the family of dual middle distance winner Highland Rocker, so the signs bode well for the future to win over a trip as sharp as five furlongs. A professional performance by a colt who knew his job first time up. 

Race Three: The Spring Mile Handicap - Class Two - 1 Mile - Runners: 18

The consolation race for the Lincoln Handicap provides a valuable opportunity for horses who weren't rated high enough to make the cut for the feature race, but the race itself is still a prize worthy of winning. The Spring Mile produces large fields regularly with subsequent Group Three winners Artistic Rifles and Ballet Concerto ranking as best of the recent winners of the race. Last year, Harswell Duke relished the heavy ground to get up in a three way finish. 

The weights for the 2024 renewal would be headed by those just unlucky enough to miss out on the main event. The honour of top weight would go to Lion Tower, who is now a seven year old, but Grant Tuer's stalwart has been a useful sort over the past few years. After posting his best effort for a while last time out, he was looking to improve on his ninth place in this race last year. Look Back Smiling often ruined his chances with slow starts last season, but things finally came good for Gemma Tutty's gelding as he emphatically landed a handicap here at the end of October. Julie Camacho's Titian was beaten a neck in a three way finish to last year's race and was back to make amends twelve months on. Dirtyoldtown joined the stable of Dylan Cunha midway through the season and ended the year with an impressive handicap win at Newmarket in November. Wildfell improved greatly from two to three as he won four races on the bounce for Peter Chapple-Hyam and finished runner up at Glorious Goodwood. He has joined the Roger Fell and Sean Murray yard and has done his best work at the death recently. Arthur's Realm was a tidy winner of this race in 2022 and attempted to regain his crown. Ed Dunlop's six year old was back to a similar rating to the one he won from previously. Thunder Roar relished slower ground at the end of the season in 2023 by winning back to back races at York and Doncaster. He would have the assistance of Jamie Spencer in the saddle. Gary Moore saddled Magic Memories in a rare forray into the flat sphere. After breaking his maiden, the four year old finished third at Newmarket, finishing around rivals he would be reopposing against once more. The Susan Corbett stable were firing in the winners a few weeks ago and their star Clear Angel lined up in the race again. He finished sixth in 2022 and was aiming to place a few steps higher. Kalikapour hails from a rich Aga Khan pedigree and made his British debut for Roger Fell and Sean Murray. The four year old won in Ireland in 2022 but failed to go on subsequently. Tom Dascombe's He's A Gentleman has developed a liking to Wolverhampton as he has finished first or second on his last five starts. Despite arriving in form, he had to prove his liking for soft ground. David O'Meara's Hortzadar is a battle hardened handicapper who will be well accustomed to these races. He finished third in the Lincoln back in 2021. Alice Haynes's Maysong ran a cracker when finishing third in last year's renewal before landing a valuable race at Sandown later in the season. Expressionless won twice at the start of 2023 for Dylan Cunha before finding the step up in trip against him. He returned to action fairly unexposed. Last year's winner Harswell Duke put his title on the line for Roger Fell and Sean Murray in similar conditions to the previous renewal. The six year old used a similar prep run earlier in the month to get race fit. Helter Skelter made his handicap debut in this tough race for the Horsewatchers and Rebecca Menzies. He showed promise in Ireland last year but was slow to start on his UK debut recently. Skilled Warrior is a multiple winner in the past but has struggled for form recently for Grant Tuer. Ian Williams's Tonal has a good pedigree but has shown limited ability so far. After winning at Wolverhampton, he would need to improve even further for this race, but sneaked into the race at the foot of the weights.

Winner: LOOK BACK SMILING (#5) (Fast Company x Portico) - B. Wilkie - G. Tutty
The first big betting heat of the day saw plenty of punting interest from those in attendance and Thunder Roar would be sent off a well supported favourite. The field of experienced handicappers were sent on their way and in the early stages, last year's winner Harswell Duke, Clear Angel and Lion Tower were amongst the pace setters. As the race began to heat up, the unexposed Helter Skelter made smooth headway from the tail end of the group to lead for Rebecca Menzies. However, the four year old would drift dramatically to his left which opened the door for his rivals. Thunder Roar, Look Back Smiling and Magic Memories would all make their forward move, but it would be Gemma Tutty's Look Back Smiling who came with the best final surge. The four year old held off Thunder Roar in a battle of the two winners from a meeting at Doncaster in late October. 2022's winner Arthur's Realm took third while Clear Angel ran well once again in fourth.

It would be one of the biggest successes to date for the growing Yorkshire yard of Gemma Tutty, a jockey-turned-trainer. Look Back Smiling made a habit of slow starts last year and dwelt at the start here, but his strong finishing kick on the heavy ground came to good use. It would also be a big win for young Brandon Wilkie, who has built up a good rapport with the gelding. 

Race Four: The Cammidge Trophy Stakes - Listed Race - 6 Furlongs - Runners: 7 

The quality continued with another listed race which would be good enough to headline its own meeting. The Cammidge Trophy is the first chance for many to see some of this year's potential sprinting stars and has been won by some high class names in the past. Brando and Emaraaty Ana have tasted defeat in this season opening contest, but can call themselves Group One winners in their careers. The well travelled Vadream enjoyed the heavy ground to score by a wide margin in last year's renewal. 

Baradar is a former course and distance winner who goes well in these conditions. The George Boughey-trained six year old had the option of the Lincoln Handicap, a race he finished third in last year, but opted for this race where stamina would prove vital. Marshman was an exciting juvenile in 2022 where he placed in Group company. He made his first start since July but retained his ability. William Haggas saddled Montassib, a smart seven furlong handicapper who appeared to be even better over this distance by winning a big handicap at York in October. Charlie Hills sent Orazio from his Lambourn stable and the five year old was a two time winner before running in heritage handicaps at the summer festivals last year. The second Nick Bradley-owned runner would be Glorious Angel, who endured the misfortune of finishing second five times last year, including here in October. Her stable mate and third Nick Bradley runner Sophia's Starlight joined the lineup. Last summer's Great St Wilfrid Handicap winner was denied in the final strides at Newmarket in a listed race on her last start. The field was complete by the filly Adaay In Devon, another who took her racing very well. Rod Millman's three year old progressed with each run and finished the season with four wins and a listed race silver medal.

Winner: MONTASSIB (#5) (Exceed and Excel x Felwah) - C. Fallon - W. Haggas

The strong headwind added into the amount of front runners in the field would play perfectly into the hands of a hold up horse and that scenario unfolded in this race. The Nick Bradley Racing-owned duo of Sophia's Starlight and Glorious Angel were keen to get on with things and took the field along up until halfway. Diminutive filly Adaay In Devon moved into the lead at the two furlong point, but challengers emerged on either side. Marshman nosed in front for the first time, but the chestnut coat of Montassib had a front row seat throughout the race. Delivering a well timed challenge under Cieren Fallon, the six year old didn't have a clear run to start with, but once the gap opened he burst through and nailed Marshman close home. The well fancied Orazio took home third with Adaay In Devon taking fourth.

It would be a first pattern race success for the William Haggas-trained six year old. Previously a classy seven furlong horse, his trainer experimented with the drop in trip which has reaped plenty of rewards. Landing the valuable Sprint Trophy Handicap at York in October, Montassib followed up with a win at the next step on the racing ladder. With his favoured soft ground conditions, he has shown how talented he is. 

Race Five: The Lincoln Heritage Handicap - Class Two - 1 Mile - Runners: 20

The main event of the afternoon finally took place and the contest didn't disappoint with a full quota of twenty two runners lining up for this famous contest. Since moving to Doncaster in 1965, the heritage handicap over a mile is a prize pursued by many and in recent years, William Haggas has been the go-to trainer for winners. The Newmarket based Yorkshireman has won the race four times, most recently with the brilliant Group One winner Adeeybb in 2018.  The race is often a hotbed for potential Group class horses as the recent trend of winners comes from the lightly raced four year old category. Long term ante post fancies Botanical and Mostabshir missed the race, but it left a full field of twenty two for the traditional cavalry charge. 
Last year, the seven year old Migration produced a brilliant weight carrying display to win under a silky ride by Benoit de la Sayette. The defending champion returned once again and would face an identical task to last year, this time carrying nine stone thirteen.  The Jack Channon-trained Johan won this race back in 2021 for his father Mick and the lightly raced seven year old returned once again in a battle of the previous two winners. Karl Burke's Liberty Lane was well regarded at the start of 2023 and eventually won a valuable handicap over this course and distance at the St Leger meeting. Thunder Ball improved with each start last year and won a nice contest on his final start in 2023. Charlie Johnston's The Gatekeeper finished fifth in the Spring Mile last year but improved to win the Balmoral Handicap on Champions Day at Ascot back in October. Andrew Balding's filly Vetivier has done little wrong so far and won at listed level last year before placing in a Group Three here in September. Revich is another regular in this race and would be lining up in the Lincoln for the third time in a row. Irish raider Blues Emperor had a progressive profile for Johnny Murtagh and was beaten narrowly in the Irish Cambridgeshire Handicap. Trainer James Horton began his new life in Newmarket with a runner in the Lincoln, courtesy of new recruit Navagio. The Julie Camacho stable landed the Ayr Gold Cup last year and sought after another big handicap with new addition Lattam, winner of last year's Irish Lincolnshire Handicap. The Owners Group silks were carried by Dutch Decoy, who ran very brave races in defeat throughout last year alongside a win at Newmarket. The Amo Racing-owned Mr Professor defeated the subsequently top class Westover back in 2021, but lost his way since then. Dropping down the grades, he has moved back up the ladder in recent months.  The mare Farhh To Shy is a former course winner and has a good record at Ascot, she finished third in a listed contest there at the end of last year. The Irish trained Chazzesmee looked a totally different horse to the one previously by winning twice last year and finishing a good second at the Irish Derby festival. He confirmed his wellbeing by winning the Irish Lincolnshire Handicap just five days earlier and attempted a very rare Lincoln double attempt. Chuzzlewit was a well regarded juvenile by Kevin Ryan but lost his way last year. First time blinkers saw the four year old return to the winner's enclosure for the first time in a while. Parlando spent a brief time at Godolphin before joining the Ian Williams yard where he has developed into a smart type. Finishing no lower than fifth in his career, the four year old was last seen winning in the warmer climes of Bahrain. Connections of the final five in the field will have been delighted to see their horse squeeze into the main event. George Baker's Hieronymus has been in good form on the all-weather this winter, but is equally capable on the turf. One Night Thunder joined the Gemma Tutty stable towards the end of last year and ran well in similar conditions at Newmarket in November. Dual purpose trainer Jennie Candlish saddled Spirit Genie, who improved drastically on heavy ground at the end of last year and carried a low weight. The Gary Moore stable is usually preparing for Aintree at this time of the year, but ran the four year old Alpha Crucis, who had good form on slow ground.

Winner: MR PROFESSOR (#15) (Profitable x Land Of The Range) - D. Egan - D. Ffrench Davis

There would be drama at the very start as last year's winner Migration planted himself at the start and refused to race. His decision prompted trainer David Menuisier to retire the nine year old as soon as he returned to the stables, where he bows out as an Ebor Festival, Glorious Goodwood and Lincoln Handicap winner.

The remaining nineteen runners got away without issue and the early pace was provided by One Night Thunder towards the stands side and Johan down the centre as the pack remained closely grouped throughout the event. Approaching the final furlong, Thunder Ball laid down his challenge along with Chazzesmee, but on the far side, Mr Professor travelled powerfully into contention and the all purple silks soon took over inside the final hundred yards. Settling the race with a smart turn of pace, Mr Professor would land the first big race of the turf season. Lattam produced a good stable debut by taking second for Julie Camacho, Navagio also justified his stable move to James Horton by taking third while Alpha Crucis made up most ground from the rear to take fourth. It would be a return to the main stage for the five year old Mr Professor, who failed to go on as expected following his listed race win in 2021. Initially struggling against a high rating, the son of Profitable snapped a losing streak at Goodwood last September over slightly further and on soft ground. Facing similar conditions here, he would remind racegoers of his natural talent and provide David Egan with a first big winner for his retained owners Amo Racing. 

Race Six: The Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Maiden Stakes - Class Five - 1 mile, 2 furlongs - Runners: 7

Middle distance maiden events at the start of the season are often highly informative as late developing types can reward the patience of their trainers. Run over the intermediate ten furlong distance, the race's history reads well with its former winners. Last year, the well bred Maxi King won on his seasonal debut and back in 2019, future Group Two winner Bangkok defeated Telecaster, who was sent off favourite for that year's Epsom Derby. With the race's past history, this year's running would be eagerly awaited. 

Ancient Myth topped the racecard for the Karl Burke stable. The son of Camelot chased home a Godolphin-owned runaway winner at Wolverhampton on debut and natural improvement would be expected. Ralph Beckett saddled Aulis, a twice raced colt who was related to some useful horses for the same owner. Harper's Ferry was very well bred as a son of an Oaks winner and was beaten by the smallest of margins on debut at the end of last season. Godolphin were represented by their 1,500,000 guineas purchase King's Reign, a son of a Group One winning mare. The colt managed only fourth on debut at Wolverhampton so would need to justify his price tag. The already gelded Liberty Coach hailed from a high class Cheveley Park family and made his debut for John and Sean Quinn. Ralph Beckett's second runner in the contest would be the debuting Moon Over Miami, who shared a name with a high class chaser. Already gelded, he held a stout German pedigree. Andrew Balding's Wild Waves has posted a pair of fourth placed finishes so far and caught the eye on debut. He wasn't as good on heavy ground the next time though, but was bred to come into his own over middle distances. 
Winner: MOON OVER MIAMI (#6) (Sea The Moon x Wiesenlerche) - H. Crouch - R. Beckett

From the start, the field got off to a relatively level break with just the inexperienced Moon Over Miami making a hesitant getaway. The early leader would be Ancient Myth, who grabbed the rail on the descent of Rose Hill before leading Aulis, Liberty Coach and King's Reign around the long left hand bend. The race would heat up approaching the two furlong pole. As the early leaders began to tire, the smooth travelling pair of Harper's Ferry and Moon Over Miami caught the eye and it would be these two who had a private battle for the lead. It appeared to be Harper's Ferry race to lose as the favourite moved into contention stylishly, but the newcomer Moon Over Miami wasn't lying down. As the pair settle down to fight it out, they pulled an ever growing gap to the horses behind. Moon Over Miami tenaciously fought back and gained the upper hand over Harper's Ferry to make a winning debut, despite drifting into his rival briefly. A gap of nine lengths would stretch to fellow newcomer Liberty Coach who made a nice first start and the slightly disappointing fourth placed King's Reign.
Ralph Beckett's yard often finish the season strongly with late developing two year olds winning first time out impressively. The trend continued, this time with a three year old debutant who relished the conditions. The French bred Moon Over Miami possesses plenty of continental influence in his pedigree which allowed him to handle the soft ground. This would be a good display for a novice, so it will be interesting to see if he backs it up next time. 

Race Seven: The William Hill NRNB On The Grand National Apprentice Handicap (Division One) - Class Five - 1 mile, 2 furlongs - Runners: 12

The final race of the afternoon would provide an opportunity for the stars of tomorrow in the saddle to showcase their growing talent on this high profile meeting. The champion apprentice title has been won in recent years by Billy Loughnane, Jason Watson, Benoit de la Sayette and Cieren Fallon as well as Oisin Murphy and Tom Marquand, all of whom are well established names in the weighing room. The current crop of apprentices will share the same hunger and desire to see their name join the list this year. 

The top weight Natchez Trace is well bred but the seven year old hasn't scaled the heights of his relatives. His last win came in June last year but has been largely underwhelming since then. Mick Appleby's At Liberty rarely runs a bad race and has been campaigned at a range of distances. His last win came over twelve furlongs in March but finished well at this distance last time out. Moonlit Cloud was another to win twice last year and did so on contrasting ground conditions, but struggled from a higher rating. Vellner began his career in Ireland where he landed his only win, but has been well held in all his races for current trainer Bernard Llewellyn. Powerful Response made his debut for the Geoff Harker stable and won twice last year as well as placing here for Ed Bethell. David O'Meara's Bustaam remains a lightly raced maiden who has shown glimpses of promise on occasions. Awtaad Prince brought recent winning form to the table as he landed a small race at Wolverhampton on his penultimate start for Amy Murphy.  Holding his form well, he chased home At Liberty last time out. Mrs Meader finished fourth in a division of this race last year for Julia Fielden and remained in good form for the rest of the year. Kevin Frost's Franco Grasso has won twice in his career, both times at Yarmouth, but has made solid late progress in his recent runs. Mark Loughnane's City Escape won twice on heavy ground at Ffos Las last year which confirms his liking for the conditions, which will be needed if he was to improve on recent starts. The six year old Distinction celebrated his half ton of races last time out and has been in winning action on the all-weather recently. He brings a wealth of experience to his young rider. The Michael Dods-trained Fifty Sent's sole win came on the all-weather and she has an inconsistent profile. 

Winner: BUSTAAM (#6) (Lope de Vega x Plumba) - J. Leavy - D. O'Meara

The strong winds that had plagued the day's racing continued for this race, despite the sun attempting to break through. As the gates opened, a few horses suffered slight issues leaving the gate. Franco Grasso stumbled for a stride and lost ground, while City Escape was another who was slowly away. Up front, Natchez Trace got away to a perfect start and soon led under Zak Wheatley. Distinction, Moonlit Cloud and Bustaam all kept tabs on the early leader as the field rounded the bend entering the long home straight. The runners were faced with the strong headwind and Moonlit Cloud moved forward into the lead. Punters were beginning to get excited as it appeared the favourite had the race in safe keeping. On his inside, Bustaam tracked the new leader's every move and exiting the slipstream, David O'Meara's four year old galloped away resolutely into a clear lead. Gaps began to develop between first, second and third and the winner was home and dry. Young jockey Joe Leavy was afforded the luxury of easing up close home with the margin still wide enough to win comfortably. Moonlit Cloud took home second with Awtaad Prince coming out of the pack into an undisputed third. Powerful Response would catch the eye at the finish with his fourth place.

It would be an easy victory for Bustaam and a stylish way of winning for the first time in his career. After arriving from France last year, the son of Lope de Vega didn't trouble the judge in a handful of novices and low grade handicaps, but exploited his lenient rating here. With a full season ahead of him for a shrewd stable, it will be interesting to see how far Bustaam can progress now. 

Race Seven: The William Hill NRNB On The Grand National Apprentice Handicap (Division Two) - Class Five - 1 mile, 2 furlongs - Runners: 11

Just like twelve months ago, the apprentice race was split into two divisions with an equal field of twelve runners. It would also provide another race for the well populated crowd at Town Moor. 

Val Bassett won twice in his native France earlier in his career, but has struggled in Britain last year. Adam West's Big Bear Hug won twice last year and showed a liking for soft ground which would come to her favour here. Molly Valentine showed a liking for the softer conditions by winning at Nottingham in April last year, but her recent form left her with plenty to find. Orange Martini posted some good efforts in maiden company as a juvenile for Andrew Balding, but her form regressed last year. She weakened out of contention on her debut for the Simon Hodgson stable. Clipsham Gold is now with his fourth different trainer, but showed ability on the all-weather throughout the winter and ran well on her only start at Doncaster a few years ago. The Jack Jones owned and trained Chagall is another with a good record on the all weather and his latest win came on New Year's Eve. James Owen's Destinado has been in top form since the turn of the year with four wins since January 1st. He would need to transfer the improvement to the turf for this assignment. Eleven Eleven was another to be in form on the all-weather with two wins at Newcastle already this year but has just a few starts on the turf. Julia Fielden's Fen Tiger has won three times in his career with two of those wins coming on heavy ground, he was last seen finishing a close second in September last year. Zambezi Magic is another to have seen plenty of races in his career but had only been going through the motions recently for Bernard Llewellyn. The field was completed by Corsican Caper for Kevin Frost. The four year old landed his first win in January, but has shown a few quirks recently.

Winner: DESTINADO (#5) (Lope de Vega x Contribution) - S. D. Bowen - J. Owen

Initial runner Vecchio would be a late withdrawal which left a field of eleven to go to post, but just like the first division; the outcome would be one sided. The locally trained Eleven Eleven got away to a rapid start and was soon in a rush to get home. Jess Macey's gelding was four lengths clear approaching the home straight, but had a target on his back. As the leader began to struggle, Big Bear Hug took over in front for Alice Bond. Molly's Valentine was another at the head of the chasing pack and the visored Destinado poked his head into view. Big Bear Hug bravely kicked for home and gained a few length's advantage, but Destinado went with her once the gap appeared. Once the favourite gained the upper hand, the race was over as the James Owen-trained six year old powered clear and crossed the line to win once again for the promising young Irish rider Sean Dylan Bowen. Big Bear Hug held on to a respectable second, Chagall stayed on into third while Corsican Caper passed beaten horses into fourth. 
It would be the continuation of improvement for Destinado, who was in good form on the all-weather recently. He had won three times already since the start of 2024 at Wolverhampton and Lingfield and finished a close second a week earlier at Southwell. Win number four of the year would come here for his young trainer James Owens who has enjoyed a memorable breakout season with a license.