Whether on the flat or over jumps, there aren’t too many races on the British racing calendar where the Irish can be said to struggle in the modern era. The performance of Willie Mullins at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival was just the latest in a sequence of Irish-dominated editions of the Prestbury Park showpiece. In addition, five of the past six Grand National trophies have headed across the Irish Sea, whilst on the flat, Aidan O’Brien continues to mop up Classics at a scarcely credible rate.
All of the above makes the history of the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster a little surprising. This 1m Premier Handicap is the headline act on the opening day of the British flat season and debuted back in 1853. In the 171 years since that inaugural edition, the Irish have plundered the prize only once, a staggering fact in light of how well Irish horses have performed over the last decade and more.
It has now been over 40 years since legendary handler Dermot Weld posted that solitary Irish success with Saving Mercy in 1984. However, it seems that many punters are more than happy to overlook this long-running stat, with this week seeing a strong surge of support for a runner heading to Doncaster from County Meath.
Orandi at the Double?
Given the desperate record of the Irish in the race, it is hardly surprising that no runner has ever completed the Irish Lincolnshire/Lincoln Handicap double. The Fozzy Stack-trained Chazzesmee was the latest to attempt the feat in 2024. Smashed into 5/2 favouritism on the day, he ran a fair race under a 5lb penalty but could manage only a 5l fifth to the 33/1 shock winner Mr Professor.
Twelve months on, many seem to believe that the Tony Martin-trained Orandi may be capable of going a few places better. This son of the relatively unheralded sire Morandi joined the Martin operation in November 2022, only to miss over a year due to injury. Having broken his Irish duck at the Curragh in May 2024, he embarked on a consistent, if frustrating, run of six successive second or third-placed finishes – climbing 6lb in the handicap without picking up a winner’s prize.
Having repeatedly knocked on the door, Orandi chose an excellent time to get his head in front. Despite suffering trouble in running, the seven-year-old came with a storming late effort to claim the Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh on the 16th of March. Next stop, Doncaster and the double.
Handicap Specialist Martin Ready to “Give It A Lash”
In common with Chazzesmee, Orandi must carry a 5lb penalty for that victory but clearly arrives at the top of his game. In summing up his horse’s chance of registering a rare Irish win in the £150,000 event, Martin stated, “Orandi’s already won one big handicap so we can’t be too greedy. But we’ll give it a lash and see how it goes. He galloped nicely this morning, and he seems in good old form”.
If there is a man to end the Irish hoodoo in the Town Moor contest, Tony Martin may be that man. With seven wins at the Cheltenham Festival and five Grade 1 triumphs, the Summerhill handler is no stranger to the winner’s enclosure at the biggest meetings of the jumps racing year. However, he has also demonstrated that he knows what it takes to launch a successful assault on a major British flat handicap, as evidenced by the following triumphs:
- 1999 Cambridgeshire – She’s Our Mare
- 2007 Cesarewitch – Leg Spinner
- 2008 Northumberland Plate – Arc Bleu
- 2016 Ebor – Heartbreak City
A general 16/1 shot earlier in the week, Orandi is now in to as short as 8/1 to add his name to the list of Martin’s handicap heroes and end the Irish curse in the Lincoln.