Charity horse Kevin Kline looks a good actor and Ray’s pretty hopeful for Friday night

Kevin Kline ($2.80) doesn’t have to be a champion but Lincoln Farms’ racing manager Ian Middleton has a special reason for wanting him to be a good winner for his new syndicate of owners.

The lightly tried two-year-old resumes from a break at Cambridge on Friday night, the early favourite for the seventh race, the Night Of Champions Pace, after two strong workout wins at Pukekohe.

Originally leased from breeder Pat Laboyrie, Lincoln Farms exercised its right of purchase on the Always B Miki gelding before putting together a partnership to race him.

And foremost among the big team is a group, headed by Jason Deane, which bid $30,000 when Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street donated half a horse to raise money for charity.

The Stroke Foundation benefitted from the generous gesture at the fourth Champions Charity Lunch in Auckland but the first pacer earmarked for the newbies, Anna Lincoln, never made it to the races.

Middleton, determined to give the successful bidders a good experience, diverted their share instead to a youngster showing plenty of promise, Kevin Kline.

A long-time winning combination, Ray Green and Maurice McKendry, who team up with Kevin Kline.And when he resumes fom a three-month break on Friday night he will also have a number of other Lincoln Farms regular supporters cheering for him including Trevor Casey, Priscilla Edmunds, Lance Myocevich, Margaret Rabbitt, the Red & Blue Syndicate, Ray Menzies and Dave and Daphne Jones.

“I think he’s a worthy horse to be in,” said trainer Ray Green. “And from what I’ve seen, I’d say he’s the one to beat on Friday. He certainly deserves to be favourite as the others have been around for a while.”

Green says Kevin Kline is a completely different conveyance from the one who over-raced and galloped when sixth in his only two starts in August.

“He’s a big, gangly horse who has time written all over him but he’s getting stronger all the time and he’s doing everything right now.

“The raw ability is there - he’s got a bit of speed - and he’s been running good fractions at the trials and getting home well.”

In his October 31 workout over 2050 metres at Pukekohe, Kevin Kline led all the way for Maurice McKendry to beat race rival Makorori, sprinting home in 57.7 and 28.

And on November 7, the combination whipped round to lead after 700 metres and was untested to beat Tyron’s Connoisseur by one and three-quarter lengths, clocking 57.6 and 27.

“I think he’s a pretty tidy horse,” Green said.

Kevin Kline is the eighth and last foal out of the six-race winner Matai Mies, her best being Emily Blunt and Happy Place who both won eight races.