Cheapies The Night Fox and Lincoln Maree keep the tally ticking over at Cambridge

The Night Fox and Lincoln Maree, two of the cheapest horses to carry the Lincoln Farms’ green silks, boosted the stable’s tally of winners this year to 11 with decisive wins at Cambridge on Thursday night.

The brace of wins elevated the Pukekohe stable to third on the northern premiership ladder behind the dual island Telfer juggernaut (21) and the Wallis-Hackett team (15).

Nathan Delany … has now trained 56 winners, 55 in partnership with Ray Green.But don’t expect Lincoln Farms’ co-trainer Nathan Delany to tell you just how cheaply he bought The Night Fox from Stephen Doody in January.

“Let’s just say he was definitely a bargain buy,” Delany said, confirming he was already well ahead on the deal after earning $6227.50 from just four starts with the horse.

Delany freely offers, however, the reason he bought the well-tried six-year-old, who won two races in 25 starts with Cran and Chrissie Dalgety and just one of 20 starts with Doody.

“He’s by Vincent.”

The former Kiwi-based super-pacer turned sire, who now stands at Alabar in Victoria, has left 94-New Zealand bred winners, the best of whom are Vessem (11), Francent (10) and Don Juan (10) plus another 140 in Australia.

But Delany’s connection with Vincent is much more personal. The first winner he trained on his own account in 2023 was a Vincent filly named Illustrious Arden - given to him by Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street - whom he subsequently sold.

Vincent No. 1: Illustrious Arden … Nathan’s first winner.Vincent No.2: Dreams Of Eric … won four races.And four of the 44 winners Delany trained in partnership with Ray Green last season were with Dreams Of Eric, a Vincent gelding he raced with a mate and sold last November.

That’s about the time he had a chat with Doody one night at the Cambridge trots and declared he was looking for another horse to race, and liked the Vincents.

“He said I’ve got one at home you can have but I don’t think he’s trying too hard.

“He was a nice horse to look at but after he won at Hawera I didn’t know if I’d still get him.”

But the win didn’t stop the deal and when Delany took him home from Hawera he found he’d latched onto a lovely, quiet horse to train.

And train well he did, seemingly improving with every session.

“I haven’t really done anything different with him. He’s just fitted well into our schedule.

“I was pretty confident he’d go well on Thursday as he’s been very unlucky lately,” said Delany, despite the R36 horse taking on better performed rivals up to R45.

The Night Fox didn’t disappoint, producing a nice turn of foot when driver Harrison Orange asked him to improve from fifth to lead 1500 metres from home. And, with a two length margin turning for home, the Night Fox kicked strongly, extending his lead over Waltzing With Miki to score in a slick 2:41 for the 2200 metres, a mile rate of 1:57.7.

“Harry said he did it easily and he could have gone a bit quicker, he just sat there.

“It looks like he can do it at both ends which is promising.”

Delany said he talked recently with Cran Dalgety who believed the horse might have just needed time and was probably peaking now.

“On what he’s shown last night he can get another three or four. It’s a pity there’s nothing at Auckland for him for a couple of weeks. It would be nice to pick up a cheque there.”

Best of all, Thursday night’s win in a junior drivers’ event was penalty-free so The Night Fox remains an R36 horse, he said.

So, will The Night Fox become the third Vincent he has won with and sold?

“I don’t know if he’d be easy to sell, being a six-year-old. When I’m finished with him, I’ll probably just sell him on Gavelhouse. Someone will want him, perhaps as an amateur horse. But he might be too high in the grades by then.”

Lincoln Maree holds on strongly for Frank Phelan. PHOTO: Ange Bridson/Race Images.Lincoln Maree, on the other hand, copped a five point rating penalty by winning the amateur drivers’ race, advancing to R42.

“She keeps improving. She’s definitely better in front, if she gets things her own way, it’s her race to lose.”

Delany said when he told driver Frank Phelan to get the top and stay there, the leading amateur inquired: ‘What if I get attacked?’

“I said stay there and keep rolling. And he drove a nice race and pressed on with it.”

Lincoln Maree held strongly when challenged by Franco Miki in the home stretch, rolling home in 57.8 and 28.8 to record a 1:56.7 mile rate for the 1700 metres.

It was the Sweet Lou filly’s second win in 13 starts for the Streets who paid just $3500 for her as a weanling.

That was good business given her dam Moonlighting was a sister to their best ever pacer Sir Lincoln, winner of 21 races, an Auckland Cup and $544,239 in stakes.