The Lincoln is the first major handicap of the flat-racing season; a veritable cavalry charge down Doncaster's straight-mile course. Despite the numbers of runners involved, a low draw from single-figure stalls is often an advantage in this race.

2. Statistics say the one place you don't want to be drawn is in the middle for this six-furlong, 30-runner cavalry charge. So ignore horses drawn 10 to 20. In recent years, horses which have been drawn next to either rail have enjoyed a considerable advantage. So while it's impossible to rule out a winner from a single-figure draw, the percentage call in recent times is to concentrate on runners berthed in stalls 21 and above.

3. Yet another cavalry charge of a race, but one in which the stalls advantage is less pronounced than in some of the other big sprint handicaps. A high draw has just about held sway in recent seasons.

4. It's a phenomenon overlooked by many punters, but the most famous round course in Paris, where the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is run every October, confers a pretty sizeable advantage to those drawn low (horses in single figures). This is a factor well worth noting if the favourite is unfortunate enough to be berthed out wide in this championship flat race of the autumn.

5. That's right - your eyes aren't deceiving you. Despite the fact that this is one of the longest races in the flat-racing calendar, the evidence suggests that a low draw has a considerably negative influence in this race. With a big field guaranteed, the configuration of the Newmarket track means that low-drawn horses end up being trapped out wide and have to run up the middle of the Rowley course without the benefit of a rail to run against.