Ray Green holds the Golden Trophy after Tyson’s last, and biggest, win at Auckland. PHOTO: Therese Davis/Race Images.
Bags packed for Aussie - Ray’s ‘real racehorse’ Tyson sold to Albion Park boss
By Barry Lichter • 5 February 2026
Iron pacer Tyson has been sold to Queensland and co-trainer Ray Green admits he’ll be sorry to see him go.
The Art Major four-year-old, whom Green describes as ‘a real racehorse’, has been bought by Albion Park chairman Greg Mitchell and is destined for the Brisbane stable of Grant Dixon.
“He’d be one of our better horses to go to Brisbane,” Green said.
“He won’t set the world on fire but he’ll give them a lot of fun and they’ll be able to race him regularly.
“He just thrives on racing. He has a tremendous heart rate recovery so you can back him up as often as you like.”
That’s exactly what Green did last year, racing Tyson 27 times - including three times in July, five times in August, every week through September and October, three times in November and each week in December.
Tyson ranges alongside Debbie Lincoln near the finish of the $50,000 Golden Gait Three-Year-Old. PHOTO: Therese Davis/Race Images.And it was in that last month, after an ultra busy six months that Tyson scored his best win in the $50,000 Golden Gait Three-Year-Old over stablemate Debbie Lincoln whom he’s ironically sure to meet in Brisbane, also her new home.
In all his 36 starts at two and three, Tyson finished further back than fifth only nine times.
In all he notched five wins and 11 placings, earning $90,860 for breeder Pat Laboyrie and Green who liked the look of the horse when inspecting him in a paddock.
Green said you’d go a long way to find a more genuine racehorse than Tyson who loved nothing better than doing it hard outside the leader - “and he’s never taken a lame step.”
But Tyson was now on the cusp of having to race against the best horses in the north.
“He’s not capable of sitting outside a Jolimont or Merlin and winning.
“We’ll find it hard to get suitable races for him here now so it made sense to move him on.
“They’ve got a better system over there so he’ll get plenty of opportunities. And he’ll suit their style of racing - they tend to launch them.”
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Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
