Racing: Lincoln rush for the low numbers

The sky was blue, the hanging baskets luxuriant, the atmosphere and crowd virtually non-existent. Welcome to the Flat turf season.

Town Moor may be annually both colourful and drab on the opening day of a new campaign, but there was more than moderate racing played out almost in private to enthuse the traditionalists. A second consecutive win for Dandoun in the Doncaster Mile, a double for Kieren Fallon and a victory for Barry Hills, the leading trainer at this meeting, encouraged the thought that this was groundhog day.

It had all started with the modern phenomenon of the draw for tomorrow's Lincoln, a lottery made all the more exotic by the presence of Niall Quinn pulling the horses names from a bag.

Paul Cole, the most successful Lincoln trainer of recent times with three wins, was not, however, lured north by the occasion.The Whatcombe trainer did not even send a representative, which meant that when the names of Cornelius and Certain Justice emerged into the light they were automatically given the lowest numbers available, in their cases 17 and 11 respectively.

Andrew Balding had first choice and selected the No 4 box for Bourgainville. Indeed, all the low numbers were the first snaffled. The ground on the far side is generally considered to be quicker at the moment, but, if the present good weather continues, that advantage will be negated by post time.

Those who have joined in the gamble on Adiemus will at least get a run for their money as Jeremy Noseda's horse now gets in the mile handicap and will fight out of stall 10.

Dandoun made it a third Doncaster Mile on the trot for John Dunlop, the winner with Right Wing in 2001. He was not here either. Dandoun was sent down the outside by Fallon from a furlong and a half out and quickly left Smirk and Atavus behind before winning by four lengths.

With Reason, who was crushed on the rails in the straight as Eddie Ahern tried to squeeze through, regained his momentum to get second place.

There is a little more water in Barry Hills's eyes these days as his 66th birthday approaches, but it could also have been wistful thoughts which made the trainer look a little emotional after Not Amused's success in the maiden.

This is where it all started 35 years ago for the little man when a £40,000 punting payout from Frankincense's win in the Lincoln bankrolled the start of his training operation. Barrington has recently moved into a new house in Lambourn, but is keen to stress it is not a retirement home.

There are 170 animals at Faringdon Place which still require his attention. "He'll be out for battle again soon," Hills said after Not Amused had come with a late run to beat the 100-1 shot Jordans Elect by a head.

Michael Hills, the winning jockey, had earlier earned his place in the quizzes when he became the first bad boy of the season, the perpetrator of a minor irresponsible ride on Farewell To Arms in the Brocklesby Stakes which earned him a two-day suspension.

The Brocklesby was, in fact, where the script departed violently. Paul Blockley had not won at this meeting 12 months ago, indeed he hadn't had a runner for eight years, part of which had seen him outlawed from the sport.

Blockley was last active in the 1980s and 1990s, but his licence was withdrawn in 1995 when the Jockey Club could not find him at his Malton yard. The trainer moved to Belgium, where he appeared on the forfeit list and thus became, in the parlance, a disqualified person.

Last January he was disqualified for 12 months for appearing on a racecourse while being a disqualified person. Blockley summed up all his problems rather neatly. "I ran out of money," he said.

For the last 14 months, Blockley has been assisting the trainer Russell Wilman and recently took over his Southwell yard and 36 horses. Red Power was the first Flat runner of Blockley's renaissance, a first winner back for a man who regained his licence only on 11 March.

"It's been hard work fighting my way back but it's a drug, you can't keep out of the game," he said. "It's worse than cocaine." Then the trainer was off. "It worries me," he said, "having all you press people around."