Cambridge lost its Jewels day but is shoring up stakes for its remaining five meetings of the season.
Cambridge tops up stakes to $7500 for the rest of the season and retains incentives
By Barry Lichter • 12 May 2020
Waikato-Bay of Plenty Harness will top up all stakes for the rest of the season to $7500, barring amateur races which will be run for $7000.
Under the recently released funding model, Cambridge has been allocated $7200 per race, but President Graham Bowen says the club believes setting a flat stake is the fairest way of returning the maximum amount to industry participants.
Graham Bowen … fairest way.The revised stake will also reflect the new rating points matrix whose lower stake threshold is to be set at $7500.
Cambridge will continue paying the incentive payment of $1750 to the connections of horses who win twice on the track during the season, providing they had already won before lockdown.
The $10,000 Dunstan Horse of the Year Series will continue. The owners of the horse with the highest points after the last meeting of the season will receive $4000 and the trainer a $3000 product prize. The trainer of the horse with the next most points will win a $2000 product prize and the trainer of third, a $1000 product prize.
Points leaders are: Lovely Bundy (24), Lukyanova (22), American Me and Flying Steps (19), Jingles Bromac (18), Still Eyre and Delson (17).
The club has five dates until the end of the season with its first an eight-race programme starting at noon on Sunday, May 31.
More news in Harness
Spiritual Bliss and Lincoln Maree add to Lincoln Farms’ gallery of Manawatu heroes
Video clue on why Lincoln Lover is tipped to go boldly fresh-up at Auckland on Friday night
A picture of Bliss but poor Harry’s arms were nearly pulled out of their sockets
Ultra-consistent Kevin Kline sold to the United States: Why Ray’s sorry to lose him
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Nathan’s comments
Thursday night at Manawatu
Race 4: Spiritual Bliss
6.25pm
“She won well on the first day but pulled very hard - Harry said his arms were that tired afterwards he couldn’t have lifted a 1kg dumb bell. She’s meeting a few nice ones here, up in grade, but she’s drawn better so you can’t count her out. She tries hard and really digs in.”
Race 7: Lincoln Downs
7.50pm
“She did everything right on Tuesday but she blew heavily afterwards and I think the heat got to her. She’s a place chance if she recovers OK.”
Race 8: Lincoln Maree
8.22pm
“She was jumping shadows on Tuesday and moves to the last race this time but she’s not the most genuine so I’m not holding my breath.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 3: Lincoln Lover
6.28pm
“He hasn’t raced for three months but trialled really well. I pick he’s going to win one pretty quickly and, given he’s been running against the best two-year-olds in his previous preps, it should really be on Friday night. This lot of maidens aren’t in the same class and he’s as honest as they come, a tough little trier.”
Race 6: Debbie Lincoln
8.09pm
“She’s really up against it from the outside of the second line, with all the favourites drawn well. She has to be the unluckest animal on the planet. With her, what can go wrong will. Even at the best of times you need a reasonable draw to figure but drawn in the bondocks here she’ll need incredible luck.”
Race 8: Sugar Ray Lincoln
9.09pm
“He had a short break while some vet work was done but is in good trim. Yes, there are a few in here that are vastly higher rated but his formline says it all - it’s not often he doesn’t get a cheque.”
Race 8: Tyson
9.09pm
“He was a bit unlucky last week that he didn’t get to them a bit sooner otherwise I think he would have won. Maurice said he thought they’d come back to him more, going 2:39 speed, but his closing sectionals were easily the best in the race.”
Race 10: Prince Lincoln
10.09pm
“He’s grown into a beautiful horse, a quality looking colt, and who knows what he could be. He’ll obviously improve with the run but I still expect him to run well from his good draw. He trialled very well behind a good one.”
Race 10: Johnny Lincoln
10.09pm
“He’s drawn a bit awkwardly in seven, which gives Prince Lincoln the edge, but he too was making good ground in the workout.”
