Debbie Lincoln’s home stretch burst pointer of things to come; but her draw rankles on Friday

Debbie Lincoln needs only a little luck to prove she is better than many punters think in Friday night’s Nevele R Fillies’ heat at Auckland.

The Lather Up filly opened only sixth equal favourite for the fifth heat of the series, her outside front row draw obviously dropping her down the pecking order.

But Lincoln Farms’ co-trainer Ray Green knows that Debbie Lincoln ($14, $3.30) needs only to get a good drag into the race to again be in the money.

The filly had no such luxury two weeks ago, when she contested the fourth Nevele R heat, mounting a solo run three wide from the 400 and being forced four wide rounding the home turn.

Despite that, Debbie Lincoln powered past six rivals in the last 150 metres to run second, recording the fastest last 800 of 56.1 and equal fastest 400 of 27, along with pacemaking winner Sweet Maggie Mae.

“It’s a pretty good run when you’re going 27 and you’re that wide,” Green said. “They seem to let her go (in the betting) but she’s a classy filly, I tell you, and a lot better than people think.

“Sure, she has an awkward draw, and will have to go back, with all the others pushing up from the second row, but if she got cover and a suck into it, they’d have her to beat based on her last run.”

Green says Friday is not desperation stakes, even though it’s the last northern heat of the fillies’ series, as Debbie Lincoln is the fifth equal qualifier already, courtesy of her last-start second.

And with only two more southern heats, at Addington on October 3 and Ashburton on October 27, it’s hard to see her displaced from the $200,000 Final at Addington cup day, November 11.

Tyson, inner, looks to have the race won but right on the post turned his head inwards and gave the decision to Waltzing With Miki.Draw no worry

Green also likes the stake of Friday night’s $35,000 Metro Final and isn’t worried by Tyson’s second row draw.

Punters quickly snapped up Tyson’s opening price of $7.50 thinking, like Green, that there’s a high probability he could end up with a perfect trail behind likely leader Mick Konstantin.

“Mick Konstantik is very quick out of the gate, I can’t see anything crossing him, and all Tyson has to do to trail him is keep up. I think he can and he’s every chance of winning from there.”

Tyson fooled everyone, including Green last week, when he looked to have beaten Waltzing With Miki, only to turn his head on the line and lose out in a close photo finish.

And while it looked like driver Maurice McKendry had wasted petrol trying to cross the leader, Bruntwood Brigade with a lap to go, Green revealed it was the horse’s fault he didn’t get there.

“Tyson wouldn’t go past Tony’s horse Bruntwood Brigade. Tony was trying to let him go but Maurice got a length on him and that was it.”

Green says he’ll happily take Friday’s race as a consolation, the winner’s purse a healthy $19,250, which he would split with co-owner Pat Laboyrie.

Green gives Sugar Ray Lincoln ($5.50, $1.35) a serious chance of winning the third race, despite being only third favourite.

Copy That’s little brother was pipped only a neck and a head last week, the moderate mile rate of 1:58.5 for the 1700 metres, playing against him.

“He wanted to race and got a bit keen in the trail. If they’d kicked on a bit earlier, he’d have been a lot better off.

“He was also held up momentarily behind Kevin Kline so it was a good effort.”

Green knows that the six-horse field favours the two David Butcher-trained favourites, Hooray Henry and You Little Beauty.

“They’re sit-sprinters who will be handy but Sugar Ray will be hard to beat too, he’s trained on OK.”

While Kevin Kline ($16, $2.45) will be better suited to the longer 2200 metres this week, Green says he showed last week that, while tough, he’s not quite as sharp as Sugar Ray.

Kevin Kline battled bravely for sixth but was only two lengths from the winner Joes Rock after looping the field to lead at the bell.