'We'll give him more time' - two leading Newmarket hopes to miss the Lincoln

Leading Newmarket fancies Akhu Najla and Unforgotten are to miss the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster on Saturday week in favour of alternative targets.

Akhu Najla, trained by Roger Varian, is 10-1 joint-second favourite with most bookmakers for the traditional curtain-raiser to the Flat season, having been introduced into the betting at 25-1 when the market was first formed in January.

The four-year-old son of Kingman looked a lightly raced type for the Doncaster feature having run only four times, including a Listed third last year.

Varian said: “Akhu Najla is fine and had been under consideration for Doncaster but we'll give him more time and look at the Spring Cup at Newbury in April. We still have Greatgadian in the Lincoln. He's fit from the all-weather and the plan is for him to run.”

Robert Havlin on Saga (nearside) on Waterhall on Tuesday morning

Another fit from the all-weather is John and Thady Gosden’s Unforgotten, who is a 14-1 chance for the Lincoln but is instead set to stick to the artificial surfaces for his next run.

The five-year-old returned from nearly two years on the sidelines to score twice at Lingfield last month and then chased home Alrehb in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton last week.

John Gosden said: “Unforgotten may well not get in the Lincoln off his mark and we don’t want to run him in the consolation race, so the plan is to got for the mile race on all-weather finals day.”

The Gosdens plan to be represented in the Lincoln by Saga, who is set to carry the colours of HM The King & HM The Queen Consort.

After watching the four-year-old work on Waterhall in Newmarket on Tuesday morning, Gosden added: “The plan is to run Saga in the Lincoln, which is a race we like, and he worked nicely under Rab Havlin this morning. He’s pretty versatile as regards ground requirements, although he wouldn’t want it heavy.”

Lincoln Handicap (Doncaster, April 1)

Ladbrokes: 6 Awaal, 8 Baradar, 10 Akhu Najla, Alrehb, Wanees, 12 Al Mubhir, Atrium, Majestic, Montassib, 14 bar.

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