Surf’s up! Hampton Banner sold to Perth and partners switch into promising babies

Improved three-year-old Hampton Banner has been sold and flew out to Perth this morning.

The Bettor’s Delight colt, winner of three of his 10 starts for Lincoln Farms, will join the stable of Mark Lewis, son of legendary driver Chris Lewis and will be raced by the same connections who are enjoying success with former Kiwi Bill Haley.

Pukekohe trainer Ray Green said Hampton Banner, whose stablename is Surf, was sure to do a good job in Western Australia, where a number of former Lincoln Farms’ pacers have excelled.

“He’s morphed into a nice racehorse, but he’s not quite good enough to frighten the really good ones, he’s in the next tier down.

“I’m sure he could have won a few more races here but now is a prudent time to sell him.

Hampton Banner showed a terrific turn of foot in this win at Auckland earlier this month.“It was a good offer and a good business decision to sell him now. The more we raced him here the more he would have devalued.”

Green had Hampton Banner in the Northern Derby Prelude field at Auckland on Friday night, against stablemates Copy That, Tommy Lincoln and Man Of Action.

“He was good enough to be in there but not good enough to win it.”

Hampton Banner was raced by Lincoln Farms’ John and Lynne Street along with Ian Kedzlie, Dennis Ebert, Kevin and Annette Crosswell, Steve MacDonald, Robert Seebeck and Chris Prutton.

In keeping with Lincoln Farms’ policy of placing its partners in other horses after sales, all have now joined the ownership of promising two-year-olds Franco Nandor and American Dealer, who both race on Friday night.

Hampton Banner, who went through a lot of growing pains last season, won his first race at Cambridge last November and went on to win twice at Auckland, clocking a slick 2:39.3 in beating subsequent Victoria Oaks winner Dr Susan.

Two starts back he showed very high speed from last to reel in the field and win as he liked by two and a half lengths.

A brother to six-race winner Scarlett Banner, Hampton Banner is out of the Christian Cullen mare Surf And Sand and cost $60,000 as a yearling.