$10,000 weanling Johnny Lincoln surprises again with fifth win over white hot blue blood

Johnny Lincoln continued to surprise co-trainer Ray Green with his narrow hat-trick win over white hot $1.28 favourite Allamericanplayer at Auckland on Friday night.

“Not bad for a cheap little weanling,” Green declared after the $10,000 buy staved off Stonewall Stud’s $155,000 yearling Allamericanplayer.

“I’m sure if he’d paced properly he would have beaten us but this game is all about winning.”

Like most punters, Green thought Allamericanplayer was a lay down to win, despite sitting in the breeze in his first start for three months.

How Johnny Lincoln looked as a $10,000 weanling.Allamericanplayer was an impressive $155,000 yearling.But when the imposing Bettor’s Delight - Goodlookingbabe colt started pacing roughly turning for home and driver Tim Williams was forced to take hold, it was advantage Johnny, who sprung from the trail and held off the late closing favourite to score by a neck.

Though Allamericanplayer obviously wasn’t at his best, Green took confidence from the fact the Telfer-trained pacer won last season’s Welcome and Sapling Stakes and was only a head behind Freeze Frame in the Sires’ Stakes Final.

“I don’t know if Johnny is up to the best - it’s a big step-up to that level - but we’ll see how he goes, he probably deserves a crack at them.

“He hasn’t given me derby vibes yet but he’s tough and, who knows, he could keep surprising us. I originally thought he was pretty good, but more a tradesman than brilliant. I didn’t envisage him doing what he has.”

What Johnny has done is win five times and rack up six placings in only 17 starts, banking an impressive $67,420 for owners John and Lynne Street, Ian Middleton, Green himself, the Four Legs Syndicate, Duncan Chisholm and Kathy James, the Athenry syndicate and the estate of Margaret Rabbitt.

A chunk of that came from his win in a $35,000 Metro Final on January 30 and, after his heat win on Friday night, the gelding’s next immediate target is another $35,000 Metro Final at Auckland on February 27.

Green, who said the Lather Up youngster “oozed class” at the 2023 weanling sale, likes the fact he’s out of Ima Megastar, a daughter of Lincoln’s Megastar, who was a full sister to Sir Lincoln.

Sir Lincoln remains the all-time best performer for Lincoln Farms with his 21 wins, an Auckland Cup and $544,239 in earnings.