Angelic Copy and Lincoln Linda look to have it over Young Guns fillies rivals on Friday night

With Angelic Copy and Lincoln Linda, Lincoln Farms looks to have a stranglehold on Friday night’s first Young Guns heat for fillies at Alexandra Park.

In Angelic Copy, trainers Ray Green and Nathan Delany have a totally reliable filly, unbeaten in two starts and, surprisingly, only second fancy at $2.60.

Lincoln Lover, on the other hand is a “loose cannon”, but brings a little more X factor, TAB bookies opening her a marginal $2.25 favourite.

“Angelic Copy has done nothing wrong,” says Green. “She’s not spectacular - she won’t win by five lengths, more likely half a length at best - but she’s definitely the most reliable of the two. She’s tractable and a serious chance.”

Lincoln Linda might have burned punters who made her favourite last start but her huge recovery for third ensured they’d come back for more.

After getting too keen in the score-up, Lincoln Linda rammed the gate and galloped, losing at least 25 metres.

“Maurice said she coiled up into a little ball after that and lost the plot and he was worried she would start choking.”

With no pace on, McKendry looped the field and took up the running 900 metres out, and was still fighting gamely only 1.6 lengths from Angelic Copy at the post.

“She’s a bit of a loose cannon. She always had the potential to be like that, was always hot, and with a few races she’s got a bit worse.

“But you can’t ignore (the enormity of) her run last time and, if she does everything right, she’s got to be hard to beat.”

Green says at this time of year, with new two-year-olds arriving on the scene, it’s always hard to know what you’re up against.

But the Telfer-trained Ms Collins, a close second on debut, had to be the main threat, despite her home straight gallop in a trial at Auckland last week.

Lincoln Lover (Peter Ferguson), centre, rallies bravely to just go under to Allamericanplayer. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.Winner of that heat, the Cran and Chrissie Dalgety-trained Fugitive, looks to be the testing material for Lincoln Farms’ pair Prince Lincoln ($19) and Lincoln Lover ($21) in the eighth race, the opening Young Guns test for colts and geldings.

Fugitive, who sprinted home in 56.7 in that trial, has drawn the pole in the eighth race, compared with Prince Lincoln in four and Lincoln Lover in seven.

But while Green has respect for both Fugitive and Purdon Racing’s debutante Andretti, he says you can’t rule out his pair.

“Our best two-year-olds are still in the paddock for various reasons but these two have race experience under their belt and that might make the difference.

“Prince Lincoln had to come really wide when improving from the back last time and just flattened out that last bit.”

Timed over his last 800 metres in 59.4, the fastest in the race, he was just one tenth of a second slower than winner Allamericanplayer over his final 400 metres in 27.6.

“And Lincoln Lover has gone two really good races in a row. He’s a tough little guy. He’s a slug in training, and doesn’t impress anyone, but he’s a typical Bettor’s Delight and lifts on racenight.”

On March 7, despite being parked from the bell, Lincoln Lover rallied close to home to go under by only a neck.

Marketplace dominant

Green doesn’t hold out any hope of winning the $200,000 Harness Million for three-year-old colts and geldings with Sugar Ray Lincoln ($41) and Lincoln Lou ($41).

“I can’t see anyone beating Marketplace. He’s like Copy That, he’s got that brilliance. The race could be over in 100 metres.”

Clocked officially over his last 400 metres of last week’s Alabar Classic in an unheard of 25 flat, Marketplace gets a draw upgrade to four, from where there’s no chance the race will develop into a 2:47.3 dawdle like last week.

“It was just a sprint home which found out Sugar Ray. It was his first run for a while and we didn’t expect him to be on his best game.”

Parked for the last lap, Sugar Ray Lincoln weakened over his last 100 metres to finish 4.5 lengths behind winner Rubira.

Lincoln Lou, who finished one place further ahead, was the victim of a second row draw and, from three on the second line on Friday night, looks to be up against it again.

“He’s beaten a lot of good horses before but these are the best of the best.”

Debbie Lincoln … tied up last week.Green won’t know until Friday whether he will start Debbie Lincoln in the $150,000 Harness Million for three-year-old fillies.

“She tied up on us last week,” says Green. “We’ll take a blood on Thursday and see where we are at. Hopefully we’ll have it sussed.”

Green said it was horrible watching Debbie Lincoln trail the field last week and make no ground.

“I knew straight away that there had to be something wrong. She should have finished in the first half of the field at least.

“That’s the first time she’s tied up. We gave her what drugs we could, put her in the paddock and took her groceries off her - that is all her high energy feed. It all hinges now on how she’s recovered.”

From the inside of the second row, Debbie Lincoln is rated a $27 chance.