Charity horse Kevin Kline looks a good actor and Ray’s pretty hopeful for Friday night
By Barry Lichter • 14 November 2024
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.
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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.”
