You’ve just got to love little Mr Professional Lincoln Star who always tries his heart out

Trainer Lisa Latta won bigger races at Awapuni on Friday but she still prized her win with Mr Professional, Lincoln Star.

Lincoln Farms’ little galloper kicked off a notable treble for Latta along with Manawatu Breeders heroine Charms Star and open mile winner Wild Moose, all three ridden by gifted apprentice Wiremu Pinn.

And while the prizemoney and status of Lincoln Star’s rating 74 win paled in comparison, the way he dug in to nose out Torque Time, despite giving him 3.5kg, hit the spot with Latta.

“He’s such a genuine little racehorse. Not many horses try as hard as he does and he always gives his best.”

Lincoln Star’s smaller size has often counted against him, Latta saying he couldn’t afford to get knocked in a race.

“But he’s got a bit stronger and seems to be coping better with it now.”

The powerful combination of trainer Lisa Latta and owner John Street.Lincoln Star might not be robust but he has a lot of the other attributes that make for a good racehorse, says Latta, who can see him winning more races even when he rises in grade.

“He doesn’t pull and you can put him anywhere in a race,” Latta said.

Lincoln Star is also adept on varying track conditions and over different distances.

Friday’s win, his fifth in 45 starts, was in slow7 conditions but he has also won on a good3 track and a heavy9.

And he has won a varying distances between 1550 metres and Friday’s 2200 metres.

Surprisingly, for a small horse, he carries weight well, his wins coming with 59.5kg, 59kg (three times) and 58kg.

And he’s not a win or bust type, his consistency earning him $124,162 from another nine seconds, five thirds, three fourths and four fifths.

That’s one of the Savabeel seven-year-old’s best traits, says owner John Street who, along with wife Lynne, paid $180,000 for the horse at New Zealand Bloodstock’s premier yearling sale at Karaka.

“She’s out of Dating who was quite small. We bought a couple out of her (the other was Lincoln Sky) and they were both small foals but they developed in the right places.”

Dating, an O’Reilly mare, was a multiple Group III winner of five races and third highest filly on the Free Handicap of 2009-10. She is a sister to five-race winner Miracle Miss, the dam of stakes winner Maritimo and also in the family are former good stayers Lumley Lass and Mister Pompous.

Street said he liked the way Pinn put Lincoln Star in the race on Friday and “rode him like the best horse.”

Raider to come back in distance

Stablemate Lincoln Raider, who could manage only seventh in the same race, would be brought back to 1600 metres after his failure to run better than seventh.

“He’s not a middle distance horse and he seems to have lost his turn of foot,” Street said. “He’s had a lot of knee and foot problems.”

Street was prepared to forgive Lincoln Falls for beating only one home in his comeback race.

“He was a bit disappointing but he hadn’t raced for 15 months. Jonathan said after he got a bit out of his ground he didn’t want to knock him around.

“We know he’s better than that, he’s a nice horse. But it’s hard coming back in that company after so long.

“He seems to have pulled up all right, which is the main thing.”

Six-year-old Lincoln Falls, who has twice injured a tendon, has raced only 11 times for three wins.