Paul Hanagan has made few mistakes over the last 12 months, but he may have dropped the ball by shunning Our Joe Mac in the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster.

The champion jockey has instead opted for Irish Heartbeat, also from Richard Fahey's yard and a worthy performer in his own right.

But Our Joe Mac perhaps has greater scope for potential than his stablemate, and is taken to provide Fahey with his first success in the keenly-contested handicap.

Those in attendance at the Curragh last month may scoff at the claims of the four-year-old as he beat just one home in the Irish Lincolnshire.

The ground was really demanding in County Kildare that day, which may have contributed to his downfall.

Although a winner in similar conditions at Haydock last August, he shaped like an animal desperately in need of a run following a pretty resourceful three-year-old campaign, which also yielded honourable displays at Ayr and over course and distance.

But Fahey must have had one eye on the Lincoln towards the back end of 2010, and he will arrive in South Yorkshire a much stronger, wiser animal.

Indeed, four-year-olds also have a fine record in the race, with six of the last eight renewals falling to that age bracket.

Although he is now 1lb ‘wrong', connections cannot possibly disapprove of a racing weight of just 8st 8lb.

As long as Our Joe Mac brings even a modicum of his reportedly inspiring home work to Town Moor, Hanagan's loss could be to the vast gains of Tony Hamilton, an able deputy if ever there was.

Rookie trainer Roger Varian can enjoy an early-season tonic earlier on the card if Eton Forever runs to form in the William Hill Spring Mile.

Varian has replaced Michael Jarvis at Kremlin House and will already have discovered the magnitude of such a prestigious role.

But Eton Forever looks to have the perfect profile in which to take this valuable handicap, the Lincoln's consolation race, and provide his trainer with a dream start to the campaign.

Connections have had to be patient with the four-year-old as he was first seen on a track only last April.

In what was admittedly a work in progress last season, the Oratorio gelding still showed much promise in four outings.

Eton Forever has allegedly made great progress this winter and could be let in lightly off his current mark.

An upwardly mobile animal is usually required to win the Spring Mile. Varian's representative fits the bill rather nicely.