William Haggas will be going in search of a record-breaking fifth SBK Lincoln victory at Doncaster on Saturday as Flat racing returns to the turf for its traditional curtain raiser.
The Haggas team will be led by the exciting prospect, Mujtaba, who is currently 4/1 favourite with sponsors SBK. The unbeaten four-year-old won three from three last year and was last seen when winning impressively over a mile at Redcar in October.
Mujtaba will be joined by stablemates Ametist and Irish Admiral in the one-mile contest.
Ametist won his first three starts of 2021 before ending the season with a good performance in the Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket, finishing third.
Irish Admiral joined the Haggas stable from Ireland at the start of last season and won on his very first start for the yard at Wolverhampton in April 2021. Since then he has finished down the field in a number of competitive handicaps, including the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot as well as picking up another victory at Redcar in August.
We caught up with William Haggas to discuss the chances of his three runners in the feature race ahead of the weekend.
Mujtaba
Mujtaba has got a lot to find. He ran three races last season at Chepstow, Chester and then he ran a really good race at Redcar. I was really pleased with him that day when he stayed on really well to win. It looked like the penny was starting to drop that day.
We thought the Lincoln would be the right option for him to start this season. He’s still a big, immature horse but he is talented. He has a big frame. My fear would be he may well be better on softer ground, but that won’t stop us running. Unexposed, younger horses often run well in a race like this, but whether he has enough experience I don’t know.
Mujtaba hasn’t achieved what Addeybb had by the time he ran in the Lincoln. He has got a good pedigree though, being by Dubawi and his mother was a champion in South Africa. I think he has a chance to develop into a good horse.
Ametist
Ametist is getting older now but he’s got low mileage and goes well fresh. He loves a straight track and decent ground, which he’ll hopefully get in the Lincoln. He’s had a few issues in the past but he’s in good form and has been working well so has as good a chance as any. He was third in the Cambridgeshire last season, so he may want a bit further, but I think a mile first time out will suit him well. I think he’s a nice horse.
Irish Admiral
Irish Admiral was bought from Ireland privately and, to be honest, he hasn’t been as good as we’d hoped. He ran a very promising first race last year. We think he wants decent ground and a straight track and probably a mile under a positive ride. He’s a genuine, strong-galloping horse who will be up the front battling away.
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