Akehurst is happy with Lincoln draw

TRAINERS of Lincoln hopefuls yesterday gave a varied response to the draw for the William Hill sponsored event understandable considering the random spread of the winner's berth in recent history.

With the statistics pointing every which way stalls numbers for the winners have varied with six winners being drawn low, four middle and one high in the last 11 years - it is difficult to know where the advantage lies.

But Reg Akehurst, responsible for the 6 to 1 favourite for tomorrow's race at Doncaster, Sharp Prospect, reacted favourably to getting a middle draw (14), saying: "We are very pleased with that and at least you can go anywhere from there."

John Dunlop who trains leading fancy Beauchamp Jazz, a 7 to 1 shot, admitted it is so long since he had a runner in the Lincoln that he had forgotten about what sort of draw was required, but was pleased with his contender being drawn in stall two.

Beauchamp Jazz is reported in good form, but last season's champion trainer served a warning to his supporters.

"My own personal view is that he has too much weight, but having said that, we will just have to see how forward they are," said Dunlop before glancing at the miserable conditions and adding: "I wouldn't want this rain to continue for too long."

The other joint top weight, Hoh Express, trained by Ian Balding and ridden by Frankie Dettori, will come from a middle draw (12) and the jockey was another who was not dissatisfied with the ballot result.

"We will be in the middle won't we? That would be OK, but the effect changes every year and this rain will be no problem as he's won on soft ground before."

Lynda Ramsden saddles the mare Fame Again (drawn 9) from the very bottom of the handicap in a bid to, add to the win of High Premium in 1993.

"We won the race then from stall five and we also saddled the third horse, Will Of Steel, from stall nine. The second horse came from six so if it's anything like that again, I should think you, want to be low."

Mrs Ramsden added that the mare's preparations had gone "fine", but the sponsor's dismissive quote (25-1), suggests that connections are no more than hopeful.

Other fancied horses including Delta Soleil (8-1), Moving Arrow (10-1), Beyond Doubt (10-1) and Shinerolla (12-1), have also received low draws in stalls 10, 4, 11, and 1 respectively.

And the sponsors reported interest in the favourite Sharp Prospect (7-1 from 8s), Delta Soleil (8-1 from 12s) and Night Dance (10-1 from 14s) but with the latter drawn high in stall 18, the annual low or high argument seems as confused as ever.

. Pennekamp, last year's 2,000 Guineas winner, was withdrawn from the Dubai World Cup yesterday after aggravating the injury he sustained during the 1995 Derby. His trainer Andre Fabre scratched the colt just six days before he was due to line up in the inaugural running of the contest, the world's richest race, at Nad Al Sheba.

Pennekamp, who has not raced since sustaining a leg fracture at Epso last June, has been in Dubai since January preparing for an ambitious comeback.