Ouch! Lincoln Raider looked a cert on Saturday but his knees have been worrying him

Trentham, 1600 metres, Lincoln Raider. It’s a marriage made in heaven.

But trainer Lisa Latta today sounded a note of warning that Lincoln Farms’ talented galloper is not the certainty he might seem at first glance in the third race on Saturday.

If you’re punting by the form book, Lincoln Raider’s record at Trentham is very persuasive - three wins and a second from four starts - the long home straight made to order for his charging late finishes.

You could find excuses for him too in his last two starts:

• The ground was much too wet for him on December 21, a slow 8, when he still flew late to be beaten only half a head, a short head and half a head.
• And last time on January 4, Jonathan Riddell was unable to get to the outside when riders were avoiding the inside portion of the track like a plague, forced late to switch in and beaten a long head and a length.

But there was more to that last run than met the eye, Riddell reporting afterwards that the horse didn’t feel 100 percent.

“His knees have definitely been worrying him,” revealed Latta who has been forced into swimming the horse instead of galloping him.

“He had one very quiet gallop on Tuesday and the rest of the time it’s been morning and afternoon in the pool.”

Lincoln Raider had surgery to remove bone chips from his knee last February and Latta says racing and working on firm tracks has obviously tickled him up again.

“It’s hard to know for sure because he has been racing on off tracks in his last few starts and it could have been the ride last time, but I’ve got my doubts.

“We’ve just got to hope that not having had a saddle on him and keeping the weight off his knees will help him feel better.”

Latta says Lincoln Raider’s fitness won’t have been affected by his lack of recent galloping but she is a bit worried he might get cluttered up in the running from his inside draw on Saturday.

“The one draw isn’t ideal but we have one of the best aboard in Opie Bosson and I’m sure he’ll find a path through them.”

Lincoln Raider has opened at $3.70 with the bookies and gets a 2.5kg weight swing on his main danger Sinarahma ($4.20).

Platinum Road, in the purple colours, hits the line hard for third at Ellerslie last start.

A shoe in?

Platinum Road is clearly the next best chance for Lincoln Farms on Saturday, getting in on the minimum weight of 54kg in the sixth race, which is ironically sponsored by part-owner Neville McAlister’s Shoe Clinic.

“I’ve got a lot of time for the horse - he reminds me of Platinum Invador in that he’ll stay all day - and he’ll only get better and better,” says Latta.

“It’s a big ask against the older horses on Saturday but he gets in with a good weight and he’s come through his trip to Auckland in great shape.”

Owners Neville McAlister, right and John Street discuss Platinum Road’s excellent run at Ellerslie with trainer Lisa Latta.Latta took Platinum Road to Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, keen to test him out on the undulating circuit well in advance of his main target, the $1 million New Zealand Derby on February 29.

And the son of Declaration Of War didn’t disappoint, storming home late for third, a good recovery after clipping heels and blundering 900 metres from home.

Platinum Road was beaten nine lengths by Prince Albert that day and meets that horse again, this time getting 5kg off him, and Latta expects him to be more competitive at Trentham where he has already won.

“He needs a good track, he’ll get it on Saturday, and if he could run top three again you’d say that was a great run.”

Johnny Lincoln keeps grinding away, suggesting he might like the 3200 metres of Saturday’s Wellington Cup. PHOTO: Peter Rubery.Rank outsiders in the cup

Lincoln Farms’ two runners in the $250,000 Wellington Cup, Kamada Lincoln and Johnny Lincoln, share the rank outsiders’ quote of $81 and $16, and will need a stack of luck to figure in the finish.

Kamanda Lincoln at least has the barrier draw he needs, seven, to improve on his ninth in the race last year from gate 17.

And Latta has removed the Norton bit which, while it has been helping to settle, has also been putting him to sleep.

“He’s not been racing any good in it, he’s just been getting too far out of his ground.”

On Saturday Latta will be instructing rider Darryl Bradley to get handier and she’s hoping that with his minimum weight of 53kg he can live up to his breeding and stay all day.

“The query with Johnny Lincoln is whether he sees out the 3200 metres. He’s been running very honest races and keeps grinding away so I feel the distance will suit him but you never know until you try.”

Johnny Lincoln’s worst race was his most recent, when he only battled over 2200 metres at Awapuni but Latta says that was the day the track was off and it was a funnily-run race.

“He has continued to please me in training and, while I would have preferred a better draw (15), we will look to roll forward with him and hopefully Robbie (Hannam) can get a nice spot.

“I am really looking forward to seeing how he performs.”

Lincoln Star meets an even field in the final race and Latta is hoping that he can find his best form by reuniting him with Riddell, who won on the horse at Waverley in April, 2018.

Latta expects the big Trentham track to suit Lincoln Star whose only previous experience on the course was in unsuitable heavy footing.