Wednesday, 12 June 2019

Jane Chapple-Hyam's Lincoln Blue Goes Close at Yarmouth


Jane Chapple-Hyam doesn't have many two-year-olds in training. 

However, I've always kept a keen eye on her significantly-entered juveniles as they are usually fair performers - up to winning standard - and often sneak under the radar at decent odds. 

Lincoln Blue, a bay colt sired by Bated Breath, racing in the familiar silks of Gordon Li, was halve backed on debut at Leicester when running at the end of May. He didn't really inspire, after showing an element of pace, before tiring into seventh place behind Majestic Sands, who is held in some regard by trainer Richard Fahey and The Cool Silk Partnership. 

In truth, Lincoln Blue ran a pretty ordinary debut which suggested he needed the run or disappointed. 

Jane Chapple-Hyam had given this 38,000 guineas Breeze-up purchase a Class 2 entry, which indicated there was some hope of ability. 

After the debut, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the performance or how to assess the potential of this April foal. 

He ran today at Great Yarmouth, in testing conditions, and opened at 40/1 with bookmakers. I noticed Lincoln Blue touched odds of about 60/1 on Betfair to small money. However, there was definitely money about for this colt. At the peak of trading, I saw he was backed to about 18/1 on Betfair, drifting back to about 30/1, before being supported, again, close to the off.   

Just eight runners, so Chapple-Hyam's charge leading the way with market-drifter Otago, in the Royal colours, the only ride for Ryan Moore, trained by Michael Bell. 

Late challenger, Tom Tulliver, trained by Declan Carroll, finished well, in a tight three-way photograph which saw the green check silks of F Gillespie win by a head, with Lincoln Blue shading the second spot by a short head from Otago.