William Haggas moved to the top of the all-time Lincoln trainers table thanks to the success of Godwinson in 2025. Twelve months on, the market suggested he had every chance of landing a sixth win in the race with the unexposed four-year-old, Eternal Force. Unbeaten in three starts following a gelding operation, he started as second favourite with the 2025 winning rider Cieren Fallon in the saddle.
The Harry Eustace-trained La Botte vied for favouritism in the week leading up to the race and started as the clear market leader following strong support on the day. An excellent second in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot 2025, he caught the eye when finishing well for fourth in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton.
The only other runner who started at a single-figure price was the Jack Channon representative Urban Lion. While successful in only one of his previous ten turf outings, the five-year-old ran well in defeat when third in the Shergar Cup Mile and an unlucky fifth in the Royal Hunt Cup.
Sporting the silks of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, Botanical topped the weights for Karl Burke. A burden of 9st12lb didn’t make life easy, but he was the class act in the field, having twice hit the frame in Listed company.
Others to note included Rogue Diplomat, who arrived seeking a hat-trick at this track, Valvano, who finished third in a competitive event here in October, and Tribal Chief, who represented 2023 winning trainer David Menuisier.
Result
- 1st – Urban Lion 9/1, Jockey: Edward Greatrex, Trainer: Jack Channon
- 2nd – Rogue Diplomat 11/1, Jockey: Harry Davies, Trainer: James Owen
- 3rd – Tribal Chief 14/1, Jockey: Sean Levey, Trainer: David Menuisier
- 4th – Botanical 11/1, Jockey: Sam James, Trainer: Karl Burke
Prize Money Breakdown
- 1st – £77,310
- 2nd – £36,255
- 3rd – £18,135
- 4th – £9,060
- 5th – £4,530
- 6th – £2,265
Tote and Forecast Payouts
- Tote Win – £11.20
- Tote Places – 1st – £2.80, 2nd – £2.50, 3rd – £4.00
- Exacta – £154.20
- Computer Straight Forecast (CSF) – £108.31
- Trifecta – £4,316.40
- Tricast – £1,457.39
Recap
Botanical broke best when the stalls opened, tracking over from his low draw to take the lead up the centre of the track. Shout led a smaller stands-side group, but by the end of the first furlong, the two packs had merged into one. Of the fancied contenders, Eternal Force raced prominently on the far side of the group, but La Botte found himself shuffled back following an awkward start.
Little change in the order over the first half of the race, with Botanical still leading the way under Sam James. Moving nicely, the Karl Burke runner had opened up an advantage of around two lengths. The runners were closely grouped in behind, with Great Aclaim, Tarkhan, Alpha Crucis, and Urban Lion making up the next wave of four. Eternal Force maintained his position towards the far side, with Rogue Diplomat and La Botte following him through.
At the 2f pole, it looked as though Botanical may have stolen a march on his rivals as his rider kicked for home. However, the chasing pack began to respond. The green-clad trio of Urban Lion, Alpha Crucis and Galeron gave chase up the centre, while Eternal Force and Rogue Diplomat launched their challenge further wide. La Botte was asked to quicken by Jamie Spencer, but found little.
Reaching the final furlong, Urban Lion’s sustained run took him past Botanical and into a one-length lead. With the front-runner beaten, Edward Greatrex found a new challenger in the shape of Rogue Diplomat to his outside. Rogue Diplomat nosed ahead as the line approached, but Urban Lion was not done with yet, heads up, heads down, as they passed the winning post, requiring a photo finish to split them.
When the announcement came, number 7 Urban Lion had prevailed by a nose from the gallant Rogue Diplomat. Tribal Chief flew home late to take third, with the brave Botanical holding on for fourth.
A fine afternoon for Jack Channon, who also won the Spring Mile earlier on the card. In landing a first Lincoln Handicap, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Mick, who claimed the 2022 edition with Johan. This was also a first win in the race for a delighted Edward Greatrex.
Runners
- 1. Botanical – SP: 11/1, Trainer: Karl Burke, Jockey: Sam James
- 2. La Botte – SP: 3/1F, Trainer: Harry Eustace, Jockey: Jamie Spencer
- 3. Shout – SP: 12/1, Trainer: Simon & Ed Crisford, Jockey: Robert Havlin
- 4. Great Aclaim – SP: 50/1, Trainer: Eve Johnson Houghton, Jockey: Callum Hutchinson
- 5. Thunder Roar – SP: 33/1, Trainer: Tony Coyle & Kaine Wood, Jockey: David Nolan
- 6. Anno Domini – SP: 14/1, Trainer: Charlie Appleby, Jockey: Toby Moore
- 7. Urban Lion – SP: 9/1, Trainer: Jack Channon, Jockey: Edward Greatrex
- 8. Tarkhan – SP: 100/1, Trainer: Jamie Osborne, Jockey: William Carver
- 9. Eternal Force – SP: 4/1, Trainer: William Haggas, Jockey: Cieren Fallon
- 10. Valvano – SP: 10/1, Trainer: Ralph Beckett, Jockey: Hector Crouch
- 11. Galeron – SP: 14/1, Trainer: Charles Hills, Jockey: Jack Callan
- 12. Rogue Diplomat – SP: 11/1, Trainer: James Owen, Jockey: Harry Davies
- 13. Greek Order – SP: 16/1, Trainer: Michael Bell, Jockey: Jason Hart
- 14. Mirabeau – SP: 40/1, Trainer: Dominic Ffrench Davis, Jockey: Kevin Stott
- 15. Orandi – SP: 28/1, Trainer: A J Martin, Jockey: Jack Kearney
- 16. Theoryofeverything – SP: 40/1, Trainer: David O’Meara, Jockey: Oisin Orr
- 17. Alpha Crucis – SP: 28/1, Trainer: Gary & Josh Moore, Jockey: Rhys Clutterbuck
- 18. Tribal Chief – SP: 14/1, Trainer: David Menuisier, Jockey: Sean Levey
- 19. Metal Merchant – SP: 50/1, Trainer: Brian Toomey, Jockey: Neil Callan
- 20. Christian David – SP: 66/1, Trainer: Richard Hannon, Jockey: Alec Voikhansky
- 21. Bopedro – Non-Runner
- 22. La Trinidad – SP: 40/1, Trainer: Roger Fell, Jockey: P J McDonald
Non-Runners
Bopedro (temperature)