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.
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Nathan’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Im Not The Maid
5.14pm
“She went pretty well last week considering they came a fast last half (56.3) and she sat parked from the 800. She’s back to the amateur grade, and should get a good run from the two draw, so hopefully we can get a bit of cash.”
Race 4: Dreams Of Eric
6.38pm
“She didn’t handle the right-handed bends at Auckland last week (galloping at the 300) so we’ll stick to Cambridge from now on. There’s a bit of gate speed in the race so Harry (Harrison Orange) should be able to sit in somewhere. I think he’s a good chance to run top three.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.59pm
“He’s racing very well. He would have run second last week (to American Me) had he not spooked at the winning post. These are tidy horses he’s racing against but he’s holding his own.”
Race 1: Kevin Kline
5.59pm
“He’ll go better back to a mobile start. He did well to finish so close last week after a slow start than having to do all the donkey work when parked for the last lap. Maurice really likes him because he just puts him into cruise control and he keeps going.”
Race 3: Lincoln Downs
6.58pm
“She’s not as good as the other filly but some lift their game when the money’s up so maybe she can pick up a cheque.”
Race 3: Lincoln’s Spice
6.58pm
“She looks a pretty decent chance of winning. She’s a real little tradesman, does nothing wrong, is easy to handle, is a nice drive, tries hard, is great gaited and has the potential to get stronger.”
Race 5: Tyson
7.51pm
“We found out he raced with a virus last time. The next morning snot was pouring out his nose and that’s why he didn’t finish it off as well as we expected. He only whacked away in the run home. With that gone, he should race better.”
Race 5: Johnny Lincoln
7.51pm
“I think he’ll be competitive and he’s the best of ours in the race. He won well last week and has trained on well. He’s promising. I couldn’t go as far as to say he’s a classic colt yet but we’ll find out soon enough.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.51pm
“He’s doing my head in. He had no excuse for breaking last week. Maurice (McKendry) didn’t blame the wet track. He said he was gliding along, travelling beautifully, when for no apparent reason he put in big steps. I’ll put a hood on him this time to see if it’s a nervous issue.”
Race 8: The Rascal
9.23pm
“All going well, he should win what is a poor maiden field. He’s elevated himself from the transfer list and is going well now. He doesn’t have huge gate speed, so he may not lead but he should get a good trip from one. On paper, he’s our best chance of the night.”
