Hard act to follow: A million dollar season for Ray and Lincoln Farms

2020-21 will be a hard act to follow but Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green is looking forward to the new season nonetheless with some quality young pacers in the pipeline.

The racing season which officially ended last weekend was easily the most successful for Green who nudged $1 million in stake earnings for the first time, winning 41 races here and in Australia.

Headliners Copy That (12 wins, $411,347) and American Dealer (8 wins, $282,126), who are owned overseas, accounted for $693,473 of his $941,599 total but Green also won quarter of a million dollars with Lincoln Farms-owned horses.

Along with the 20 races which Queensland trainer Al Barnes won for the stable, Lincoln Farms’ own runners bagged 39 wins, taking John and Lynne Street’s lifetime number of harness wins to 525.

“It’s been a particularly good year, certainly the best I’ve had as far as dollars and wins is concerned,” says Green who has come a long way since he notched two wins and $9440 with Soky’s Rocket in his first season as a trainer in 1988-89.

“I’m grateful to have had three quality horses - you can’t win those big numbers without them - and I know I’ll be lucky to achieve it again. It’s a tough act to follow.”

Copy That was a consistent headliner in New Zealand where he won the Group I four-year-old double of the Taylor Mile and Messenger. His 10 wins here and two in Australia saw him bag the most wins by any horse during the season, one more than leading filly Bettor Twist (11 wins).

Green climaxed the season in Queensland, winning eight races and A$253,256 with Copy That, American Dealer and Tommy Lincoln, including feature wins in the Sunshine Sprint, Queensland Derby and East Coast Derby.

His combined stakes tally was the fifth highest of New Zealand stables behind premiership winner Robert Dunn ($2.16 million), Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen ($1.89 million), their replacement Hayden Cullen ($1.72 million) and Steve and Amanda Telfer ($980,453).

But whereas Dunn lined up 748 starters, and the Telfers 487, the Lincoln Farms barn had just 191.

With American Dealer and Tommy Lincoln no longer in New Zealand, Green has only Copy That to aim at the big prizes but he is keen to see what his mostly untested newcomers can do.

“We’re basically pinning all our hopes on green two and three-year-olds this season. There are about 13 two-year-olds and 11 yearlings in work and we’re only a week or two away from bringing a new lot to the races.”

Simply Sam … one to follow.Unlike previous seasons when horses had their birthdays on August 1, New Zealand is transitioning into a calendar year season, the next five months a bonus for the youngsters.

One who will be helped by the delayed start to the new season is Simply Sam whom Green labels as potentially a leading candidate for the better three-year-old races in the new year.

“He’s had a few growing issues and will be out in the paddock for another three weeks yet but he showed he could be a serious contender last time in.”