At last, a front row draw for Copy That which gives him a great Swing at the King
By Barry Lichter • 13 July 2021
Trainer Ray Green finally got his wish for a good draw for Copy That when the horse drew the front row in Saturday night’s $A100,000 Sunshine Sprint at Albion Park.
But best of all, the two main rivals for the Lincoln Farms’ star have both drawn badly, Aussie champion King Of Swing in gate 11 on the outside of the second line and Brisbane hero Colt Thirty One inside him in 10.
Copy That has turned in two exceptional runs at the Queensland carnival so far, winning the A$30,000 Wondai’s Mate from an impossible position on the home turn and running a close second in last Saturday night’s A$250,000 Rising Sun after striking early interference from the outside of the second row.
The mobile 1660 metres will suit Copy That, who is a brilliant beginner, and gate five gives him the chance to fulfil Green’s prediction that they “won’t see which way he went if he draws an alley.”
Rising Sun Consolation winner American Dealer, on the other hand, is lumbered with the outside of the front line in the A$30,000 South East Derby, but does not have to lock horns with Krug who is a notable omission after his fourth in the Rising Sun.
And Friday night’s impressive winner Tommy Lincoln is also out of luck drawn three on the second row in the A$30,000 Four-Year-Old Championship.
More news in Harness
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Cheapie Johnny Lincoln a “proper” racehorse who can foot it with the Million bluebloods
Bang! Lincoln Wave’s tyre blows out, startling rival drivers but Alabar win would shock more
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.44pm
“She did well here last time as she had to do a bit to get to the lead and she dug in and fought on. She’s certainly a chance if she repeats that effort.”
Race 4: Lincoln Linda
7.09pm
“I thought she went super last time after doing a lot of work. She can do that because she has an engine and is tough. She’s a bit one-dimensional - you have to turn her loose early - but from the two draw she should be able to lead and that’s where she does her best work.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.34pm
“I think he’s a bit stronger after his spell. It’s not a great field - most will die on that mark - and I don’t see a problem with the standing start as he’s nicely gaited. He could be marginally unfit after three months out but he’s done quite a bit of work and I can see him going a half-decent race.”
Race 6: Lincoln Maree
7.59pm
“She had every chance last time but I can’t see why she won’t go well again. She’s as honest as they come and tries like hell.”
Race 7: The Night Fox
8.29pm
“You’d think he’d lead easily from the inside. He’s had bad draws and still got the money, so I’m sure he’ll go another good race. I’m surprised they sold him so cheaply. He’s better than people think.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Lincoln Wave
5.09pm
“With the trip he got in the Harness Million I thought he’d have run on a lot better. But he was still a bit short on fitness and sometimes we can expect too much of these horses, he was racing the best, after all. It’s a big drop in grade here and he’s a pretty fair horse.”
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.09pm
“He’s an honest sort who’s in a good space but he won’t get a wonderful trip from the outside of the gate this time so I’m not holding my breath.”
Race 3: Sammy Lincoln
6.04pm
“He’s training down well but you never know what he’s going to do. You think you’ve got him sorted and he does something silly. But we know if the real Sammy turned up, he’d be very hard to beat as he’s got a lot of speed.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
7.05pm
“He’s another where you don’t know which one will turn up but we’ve gelded him since his last run, so we’ll see if that helps. He trained well the other day.”
