Burke duo head Lincoln betting after Qirat comes out

Karl Burke’s pair of Thunder Run and Native Warrior head the market for Saturday’s William Hill after ante-post favourite Qirat was scratched ahead of the confirmation stage.

The Ralph Beckett-trained Qirat won a valuable prize at Goodwood last summer before finishing second in the Challenge Cup at Ascot and a Listed race at Nottingham. The four-year-old was well fancied for the traditional Flat season curtain-raiser at this weekend, but will not line up on Town Moor.

Barry Mahon, racing manager for Qirat’s owner-breeders Juddmonte, said: “He’s fine, he just wasn’t ready. He’s still a little bit wintry and just wasn’t forward enough, so Ralph felt we’d be better waiting a couple of weeks until he’s blossomed a bit more.

“We have no plans, we’ll wait until he tells us that he’s ready to go. There’s one of those good handicaps nearly every weekend, so we’ll slot him in when he’s right.”

Ed Walker’s course and distance winner Harper’s Ferry is another notable absentee, as is Ed Bethell’s Cambridgeshire runner-up James McHenry.

The sponsors make Thunder Run their 5-1 Lincoln favourite, with stablemate Native Warrior considered his biggest threat at 6-1.

Thunder Run won three of his six starts last term and was last seen finishing fourth as favourite for the Balmoral Handicap on Qipco Champions Day at Ascot in October, while the lightly-raced Native Warrior could make his first appearance since being gelded.

Other leading hopes include Julie Camacho’s Lattam and Hamad Al Jehani’s Midnight Gun, who are both priced up at 10-1 with William Hill.

The weights are headed by Witch Hunter (33-1) from Richard Hannon’s yard, with 69 horses still in contention at this stage.