It’s that time of year again, although you wouldn’t know it from the weather. The Lincoln Handicap and the Grand National are coming up soon and Dave Stevos has found two horses at big prices for a 2026 Spring E/W Double (plus two small e/w singles). He landed a 25/1 winner at Naas on Sunday, find out who he is backing below.
Saturday March 28 Doncaster – Lincoln Handicap
I must admit, this is a race I don’t have a brilliant record
in. Things have to change at some point though surely! Hopefully it’s this
year.
Long time followers might remember me tipping up a horse
trained by Geoffrey Harker in this race (twice in fact), Scottish Summit.
Unfortunately, he never landed a blow in either of those renewals but I think
his 5yo son of Muhaarar, Dashing Darcey, may be able to produce a big run for
the Yorkshire based trainer this year.
Formerly trained by Roger Varian, this horse has won three
of his fourteen starts (two on the AW). His last win came for Varian off 86 in
a Haydock handicap (1m, good) in June 2024 and on his last two starts for that
stable he was placed in mile handicaps on soft ground at Haydock and Goodwood off 92, so we know he is ground versatile.
Harker shot for the stars straight away with Dashing Darcey after
shelling out 110,000gns for him at the 2024 Tattersalls Autumn horses in training
sales. His first start came in last year’s renewal of this race and he got
absolutely zero luck in running.
Dropped Out
David Allan dropped him out, as he is always ridden, and as
the pace lifted he was initially tapped for toe. However, it looked like he had
come back onto the bridle at around the 2f pole but just as he was beginning to
creep into the race, he was badly baulked, Allan had to snatch up and that was
race over.
On his next start he was narrowly denied off 91 at Haydock
and then after a modest 7f run at York in June, he was put away for the season
and gelded.
He races off the same mark off which he went close at
Haydock here, David Allan is back on board and I’m hoping Harker has him ready
to rock for his seasonal reappearance. He needs two horses to come out to get a
run (which should happen), and if he does sneak in and avoids traffic problems,
Dashing Darcey is capable of running on late for place money at least at odds
of 66/1.
2026 Spring E/W Double Tip: Dashing Darcey e/w @ 66/1 (4
places 1/4 odds)
Saturday April 11 Aintree – Grand National
I have already tipped up High Class Hero for this race at 50/1
(read
why here). Since I put him up, he has been pulled up at Naas but just like
at Gowran in the Thyestes that was on testing ground, so I’d be willing to forgive
him that run. He’s out to as big as 80s in a place now but if the ground comes
up good at Aintree, I can see him producing a much better effort.
However, for this double, I am going to go with another horse
that has had excuses for poor runs on his last two starts. We have backed Jordans a number of
times over the past two seasons and he has yet to let us down.
We were on e/w at massive odds when he chased home Impaire Et Passe
in the Faugheen Chase at Limerick (19.5f, yld-sft) in December 2024 and again
when he was runner up behind Caldwell Potter at Aintree in a Grade 1 novice chase
(3m, gd-sft) at last year’s National meeting. This season, we backed him e/w
for five places in the Pertemps Qualifier (3m, gd-yld) at Leopardstown’s
Christmas meeting and while Keith Donoghue got his calculations wrong and
missed out on qualifying for the final, he did stay on late to land the place money for us in
fifth.
Nice Ground
That was the last time Jordans got a bit of nice ground. He
has run twice over fences since, pulling up on heavy at Gowran and outpaced
over an inadequate 2m5f at Leopardstown on soft.
I think the fact that Joseph O’Brien swerved Cheltenham with
this son of Coastal Path is notable, as is the fact that he ran so well behind
Caldwell Potter at Aintree a year ago. That rival is rated 155 over fences and
Jordans gets in here off 150 so theoretically, he could be on a competitive
mark (even with the usual Irish tax). He’ll also have a lovely racing weight of
10st 8lbs, once the top weights declare.
If it comes up soft or heavy, Jordans is probably goosed but
if it doesn’t and there’s good in the description, as I have said before, I think
this is a horse with Grade 1 ability. He hasn’t been properly ‘off’ once yet
this year, hopefully he gets his ground and shows what he is capable of at Aintree.
At 40/1, Jordans is the each way selection.
2026 Spring E/W Double Tip: Jordans e/w @ 40/1 (4 places 1/4 odds)
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