Louie The Punter … saying goodbye to New Zealand. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.
No more punting on Louie, Ray says enough’s enough and dispatches him to Brisbane
By Barry Lichter • 24 February 2022
Louie The Punter will be on a flight to Australia in nine days, the latest victim of New Zealand’s crippling handicapping system.
And Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green says he’s confident the horse can win some good money over there and remain competitive, a combination that’s impossible under the much maligned ratings scale here.
Green says there’s no future for Louie The Punter in this country and he’ll struggle to cope with the opposition in Friday night’s seventh race at Auckland, especially from gate five.
“He’s just been marking time here whereas in Australia he can be placed so much better, find his right level, and be a decent enough racehorse.”
Green says as soon as the Sweet Lou four-year-old scored at Cambridge two starts back he was virtually history in New Zealand.
For winning a $4950 stake, the horse went up seven ratings points to 58.
That meant that the following week, when entered at Cambridge again, the only race he could run in was the Cambridge Classic, where he was expected to compete against one of the fastest horses in the country, New Zealand Free-for-all winner South Coast Arden, who was a rating 103 horse.
Green naturally scratched his horse, as did others, leaving it a four-horse race.
Owners, increasingly racing uncompetitive horses, aren’t just scratching from races, they are opting out entirely. The imminent departure of Louie The Punter comes after one of the busiest months of sales overseas, one agent reporting the strongest demand in the last 10 years as Australia and America feel the pinch of smaller foal crops and look to New Zealand to compensate.
Louie The Punter’s exit also completes the sale or export to Australia of all Lincoln Farms’ horses over the age of three, Merv Butterworth’s New Zealand Cup winner Copy That aside.
Louie The Punter, who has won three of his 20 starts for John and Lynne Street and Glenn and Ann Cotterill, will be trained at Woongoolba in south-east Queensland by Mark Dux who prepares former stablemates Tommy Lincoln and Captain Nemo.
He will be joined on the flight by unraced two-year-old filly Tempting Tigress who has been bought from Kevin Pizzuto by leviathan owner Danny Zavitsanos.
More news in Harness
Brace for Ray and Lincoln Farms at Cambridge but Colonel’s placing just as thrilling
Ray: Preferential draw for top fillies makes it tough for everyone else in Golden Gait series
Patient owners hoping high-priced Colonel can salute at Cambridge on Thursday night
Friday’s Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup all about the standing start manners of Aussie raider
Our runners this week
Tuesday at Cambridge
Colonel Lincoln, Onyx Shard, Commander Lincoln, Debbie Lincoln, Kevin Kline, Lincoln La Moose, The Big Lebowski.
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 2: Commander Lincoln
5.51pm
“Back to Cambridge and the easier amateur ranks he can get some of it. He’s an honest little horse who pays his way.”
Race 4: Onyx Shard
6.49pm
“She’s a nice filly who is training really well and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her in the money in spite of the outside draw. She’d be one of the best in that field and is definitely an each-way chance.”
Race 6: Colonel Lincoln
7.39pm
“He hasn’t raced for nearly 21 months but his training has been good and he should go well first-up. He’s a beautiful, big horse who probably lacks a yard of speed to be a real super horse but he’s got everything else. I expect him to go well against this lot.”
Race 7: Lincoln La Moose
8.04pm
“He’s training well and has surprised us before, like when he won his first start at Cambridge like a monster after breaking on the first turn. It’s always the way when they win their first start - it makes things hard for them after that - but he’s travelling well now and is capable of being in it.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 4: Lincoln Lou
7.09pm
“He’ll be relying on a heap of good luck from the second row. His last run was a non-event. The poor little bugger couldn’t have done a better job of finding trouble. He’s trained on all right.”
Race 4: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.09pm
“He’s training really well and he showed last time what a big motor he had, losing all that ground early and still getting up to win. He’s not famous for his gate speed but as long as he gets away safely then Maurice can put him in the race at the right time. There are a lot of horses in there that aren’t that safe who could stand on their ear. Navigating through them is always a worry. He’ll need some luck but he could give them a fright.”
Race 6: Frisco Bay
8.05pm
“He obviously can’t beat Duchess Megxit or Jeremiah but if he gets a good trip he’s a chance of getting some money. Things didn’t suit him last time - being out three wide then going to the front. He’s so hot, he over-races. He goes best if he’s allowed to slop out and find the back of something, when he generally relaxes. Even if he got back a bit, that would be all right, so long as he gets sucked along.”
