Four-midable: Haggas equals record as Addeybb runs away with Lincoln

William Haggas on Saturday tied a century-old training record as Addeybb advertised his Group-race potential in devastating style in the Lincoln.

Addeybb made short work of topweight and favourite Lord Glitters, who had been touted as the class act in the line-up beforehand, to become Haggas’s fourth winner of the famous handicap, equalling a record held by Jack Robinson as the most successful trainer in the race’s history.

Ridden confidently by James Doyle, Addeybb was always travelling well and, once unleashed, readily drew clear to win by two and three-quarter lengths, with a neck back to the fancied Mitchum Swagger in third and the same to race-regular Gabrial in fourth.

Haggas was not for playing down the achievement. "I think the form of that will be strong, all the right horses have finished behind him," he said.

He added: "Our Spring Mile horse [Original Choice] loves the soft and was beaten two furlongs out, so I was worried about the ground but he's got through it really well. I don't think he's a soft ground horse, but he goes on it. I think he's pretty good."

Full result, analysis and race replay

Haggas' most recent Lincoln winner, Penitent in 2010, went on to win three Group races and, with what is more than the hopefulness of a man on a high, Haggas holds high ambitions for the horse that also joins Very Wise and High Low as winners of the race.

He said: "The plan had been to go to Sandown for the Mile there in a month if he did something like what he's done there, so I imagine that's what we'll do. The ground should still be on the easy side and we know he'll handle it."

Haggas' ties to the race run deeper than his oft-peddled Yorkshire roots, as he went on to elaborate when asked what made the race so special for him.

William Haggas: enjoyed another Lincoln successCredit: Edward Whitaker

"It's been a good race for us. We won it when it went to Newcastle, which was a bit of history, and I was very lucky to win it early in my career. High Low won it in 1992 and I'd started training in '87," he said.

"That was a memorable day," he continued. "I went down to the start with him and I had a lovely ride back with the starter, hearing the commentary on the radio in the car of him winning."

Robinson died 100 years ago this year, to give a handle on the length of standing on the record Haggas has just equalled, and of that he simply said: "Well, let's hope I can break it if I live long enough!"

Switching from the dim-and-distant past to the immediate future, Haggas also revealed that he is looking to strengthen his ties with Doyle this year, a path that will only be smoothed by a Lincoln win.

"We're looking for a jockey who can ride more for us and ride in the big races. We like using Ryan [Moore] but then of course everyone likes using him," he said.

SELECT CLUB: TRAINERS WITH FOUR LINCOLN WINS

Jack Robinson Clorane (1896), Winkfield's Pride (1897), Prince Barcaldine (1898), Cinderello (1910)

William Haggas High Low (1992), Very Wise (2007), Penitent (2010), Addeybb (2018)

"James is retained by Godolphin but they didn't use him all that much last year and hopefully he can fill in. I think he was surprised by the horse today, he's quite lazy at home."

Defeat in a handicap need not spike Group-race ambitions for the defeated Lord Glitters, whose trainer David O'Meara said: "We've probably bumped into one who was well handicapped. Our fellow has done nothing wrong. A mark of 107 was always going to be a big task and he's everything we hoped he'd be. He's beaten all the others.

"It's not always the best place to be finishing second but we're delighted with how the horse has run."

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