Smart triallist Lincoln River drawn to pay a divvy at Auckland on Thursday night
By Barry Lichter • 2 May 2023
Courtesy of his good draw, capable three-year-old Lincoln River look the best of Lincoln Farms’ three runners in the fifth race at Auckland on Thursday night.
Lincoln River hasn’t raced for six weeks since running down the track in Merlin’s Northern Derby, and he’s also had to shake off a foot abscess, but trainer Ray Green is expecting him to go well.
“The abscess held him up for a week after the derby but it has resolved itself and he trialled well at the weekend.”
Part-owners David Turner, left, and Phil Kelly greet Lincoln River after his win at Cambridge in March. PHOTO: Chanelle Lawson.In a four-horse workout over 2050 metres, Lincoln River did well to dead-heat for first with Fortify, a filly with Mark and Nathan Purdon who has won two of her three starts and lines up in Thursday’s Sires’ Stakes heat.
“He should go well, he’s good enough to win,” says Green. “It just depends if his fitness level is good enough or if he needs one, but he should be right there.”
Green says there’s not much between Lincoln River and My Copy but he leans to Lincoln River because of his superior draw of two.
“Hopefully he’ll get a good trip from the second row - he follows out Lincoln River - but he normally takes a few runs to come to it.”
My Copy will be havng his third run in a new prep and looked close to form last week when making good ground up the lane behind Diamonds Are Forever, who ran a pedestrian 2:46.1.
“Blair (Orange) was quite pleased with him. He said he really dug in up the straight and tried hard. He’s on the improve and won’t be far away.”
Neptune, the stable’s third rep in the race, will need to improve to be a threat from a wide barrier of seven.
“He’ll have to go back from there,” says Green. “He’s been launched a few times and it hasn’t suited him. His best runs have been from off the pace.”
Bettor Cheer … needs the pace on - he’s no sit-sprinter. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.The stable’s only other candidate on a relatively quiet night, Bettor Cheer, also has a nasty gate to overcome, drawn eight in the second race.
“We know anything can happen with draws but the outside of the gate makes it harder. He’ll have to go back and come into it later on.”
Bettor Cheer enjoyed a perfect trip last week, leading, then trailing, before only battling on for fifth behind Venturesome Arden.
“But Zac (Butcher) was a bit dirty on himself for not pressing on when John Dunn came looking for the lead on the eventual winner.
“He’s not a sit-and-sprint horse, he lacks high speed, but seems to keep going. Zac said if he’d rolled them along a bit he would have finished much closer.”
Green says last week’s dawdle-and-sprint home was a little out of character for races at Auckland and he was not expecting a repeat on Thursday.
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Ray’s comments
Tuesday at Auckland
Race 2: Colonel Lincoln
3.39pm
“He’s a beautiful horse, and a quality mover, who’s finally demonstrating his ability. He’s done a lot of work and has had a good, solid build-up so he’ll cop a bit of racing now and I don’t see why he won’t be in it again.”
Race 2: Frisco Bay
3.39pm
“If you put him in front or in the breeze he over-races. He needs a run where he can relax in behind - every time he’s got a two-hole trip he’s won. He’s a bit one-dimensional in that respect but he’s got a lot of speed and, if he’d drawn better, I’d have labelled him.”
Race 3: Lincoln Lou
4.04pm
“On paper, he should be favourite. You can’t fault that last run in the Golden Gait and if he repeats that he’s the one to beat. He seems to be back to where we had him before. He’s been incredibly unlucky in a lot of his races. We don’t need good luck, we’re just looking for no bad luck.”
Race 3: Kevin Kline
4.04pm
“I can’t see him beating our other two. I don’t think we’ll see the best of him until well into his three-year-old year. He’s a big, rangy, slow developing horse. We’ll race him on Tuesday then give him a bit of a break.”
Race 3: Debbie Lincoln
4.04pm
“I know this is a step-up in grade, and she’s drawn the outside, but I’ve got a feeling she could be up to it. Her driver, Maurice McKendry, is very enthusiastic about her and he’s no fool. He’s been happy every time he’s sat behind her. She keeps getting better and potentially could be a high class three-year-old filly. I’m quite excited about her.”
Race 4: Sugar Ray Lincoln
4.30pm
“He won’t burn off any quick beginners but he showed he could hold his own from the inside when he won two starts back. He’s just got to do it without doing anything tricky. He can pace roughly, he’s not the complete package yet, but when the penny drops he’ll be a serious horse.”
Race 9: The Big Lebowski
7.17pm
“I wasn’t disappointed with his last run. It’s hard to win those races from long back marks at Cambridge - Copy That had to go a New Zealand record to do it. He’s as good as he can be at the moment but these are the best horses in commission and we’ll be grateful for what we can get.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 3: Onyx Shard
6.38pm
Update: Scratched
“She can get some of it. She has a good draw so should get a good trip. She’s training on well.”
Race 4: Commander Lincoln
7.09pm
“The draw doesn’t matter with him as he’s not one to leave the gate. I thought he went super last time. He got home really well and was unlucky not to run second or even win.”
Race 7: Lincoln La Moose
8.33pm
“Forget that last run. He half choked when Zac tried to restrain him and started pulling. He’s got a better draw this time, should hop straight into the trail, and hopefully get home as well as when he won the time before.”
