Lincoln’s Kruz in great heart but how will he cope with the straight course at Flemington?

It was little more than a throwaway line at the time.

Jeff and Vicky Roach, part-owners of Lincoln’s Kruz, had just watched their showy black blaze to a decisive win over 1000 metres at Trentham when a mate declared “watch out the Flemington straight.”

Little did they know that six weeks later that’s exactly where Kruz would line up next!

And on Saturday, against eight rivals, the horse will get his chance in the third race, the $150,000 CARM Trophy, over his favourite 1000 metre dash.

But, in what trainer Kathryn Durden describes as a strong field, Lincoln’s Kruz will need to be right on top of his game.

Since arriving in Melbourne a month ago Durden is delighted at how Lincoln’s Kruz has settled in at her Moriac stables, 25 minutes out of Geelong.

Kathryn Durden … “He hasn’t missed a beat since he’s been here.”“He hasn’t missed a beat since he’s been here. He settled in straight away and there were no issues with his eating. “He came over (from Lisa Latta) fit and well and I’ve just had to hold him there. His work has been good and he’s doing everything I’d like.”

Durden, who trains with her husband Craig, a former top jumps rider, has enjoyed considerable success in the last 10 months with another Lincoln Farms’ galloper, Platinum Spirit, raced in partnership with Neville McAlister.

From just 12 starts, the stayer has racked up two wins and seven placings for A$93,865 in stakes.

How long Lincoln’s Kruz remains in Australia will be determined by how he measures up and Durden likes what she’s seen of Kruz’s 1000 metre record in New Zealand.

Four of his six wins have been at the short trip but Durden points out it’s impossible to align the form in New Zealand with that of the Aussie sprinters.

Australian-bred himself, by the fast stallion Kuroshio, Lincoln’s Kruz is also an unknown quantity over the pressure-filled straight track dash at Flemington.

“I don’t know why, but the straight can be hard on some horses. Some go really well there and are straight track specialists while others prefer a turn.

“It’s very difficult to know where he fits but from what I’ve seen he looks like a jump-and-run type of horse so we’ll let him do that.”

Durden said while it appeared there were a couple of leaders in the race, it would be up to top rider Jye McNeil, to decide the tactics, which would hinge on how much tempo there was in the race.

Drawn seven of nine, with a light weight of just 54.5kg, Lincoln’s Kruz has plenty of experience from dogleg chutes, having raced 10 times at Trentham and Riccarton.

Last November, he blitzed the Pegasus field at Riccarton from the trail, clocking 56.86, and in his last start at Trentham, he took the lead on the point of the dogleg and ran right away from his rivals in 56.19, despite casting a plate.

While that might point to his being likely to cope with a straight dash, Flemington has tripped many before him.

In a 2017 interview with top rider Dwayne Dunn, who teamed with enigmatic Lightning Stakes winner Chautauqua, he told how some horses simply don’t adapt.

“Some on-pace leaders can over-race because their racing style is built around a bend, coming to a turn and kicking off it and gathering significant momentum that can often give them a winning break.

“But, in contrast, those same horses can spend their time up the straight looking for a turn that will never come. Cover is vital especially for horses that have a tendency to over-race. If you can put them to sleep and come with one run that’s the way to go. It’s getting the cover that’s important but it’s not always easy to obtain.”

Lincoln’s Kruz’s downfall has often been over-racing and four starts back, at Riccarton, he completely undid himself in the Stewards.

January’s Telegraph winner Levante had no trouble with the straight track at Flemington when campaigned there last March, finishing close up fourths behind Roch ’N’ Horse in both the Newmarket and VRC Classic.

Predicting where Lincoln’s Kruz might end up in the running is impossible for another reason - the idiosyncrasies of where the field races.

It was once either the inside or the outside, or both, but now more often than not they come down the centre of the track.

“That’s basically where the water truck comes and when the water has dried it hardens up the surface and you’ll find it’ll be quicker than either the inside or outside, Dunn said.”

With only nine runners on Saturday, it’s also less likely the field will split.

Lincoln’s Kruz, who is raced by Jeff and Vicky Roach, Lincoln Farms’ John and Lynne Street, Ian Middleton, Peter and Bridget Morris, and Sue Croft and Steve Haylock, has taken 38 starts to win $161,266, the result of six wins and eight placings. The winning stake on Saturday is just under NZ$90,000.

He has opened the second rank outsider at $15 behind the James Cummings-trained four-year-old Kallos ($3.50).

Lincoln’s Kruz races at 3.45pm NZ time at Flemington on Saturday.