Draw takes Tommy Lincoln out of play in the Guineas at Cambridge on Friday night
By Barry Lichter • 20 February 2020
Tommy Lincoln will need a lot of luck to feature in Friday night’s Waikato Guineas, says trainer Ray Green.
Despite being the lowest equal rated in the field, Tommy Lincoln has the worst draw - four on the second line.
And with two of the highest rated runners, On A Roll and Need You Now drawn one and two, Tommy Lincoln will need all of driver David Butcher’s skills to get into the action.
“We’re not holding our breath that’s for sure,” says Green. “It’s hard to predict what sort of trip he’ll get but he certainly won’t be leading like last time and we’ll be looking for a lot of luck.”
Last Friday at Auckland Tommy Lincoln sped to the front from the inside draw and looked likely to justify Green’s confidence in him until a lap from home when Ferritt’s Sister slung her hook and savaged him continually.
He did well to hang in there for so long and was collared only at the 100 metre mark, not knocked around by Butcher when beaten, to be only two lengths from winner Be My Rock in a busy finish.
Tommy Lincoln had been trialling very well in the run-up to that race, his first for two and a half months, and will naturally take benefit from it.
Green believes Tommy Lincoln, winner of three of his nine starts, could be in for a good season now he has strengthened and plans to test him in the Northern Derby Prelude at Auckland on Friday week.
Green has scratched Man Of Action from the Waikato Guineas after he drew one from the outside.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Angelic Copy
4.53pm
“She’s done everything right and trialled really nicely. I think she’s forward enough to give some cheek. She’s only small. You like to think when you get a good two-year-old like her that they’ll get stronger and transition into a nice three-year-old but she hasn’t grown an inch. But she tries hard and enjoys being out there.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.28pm
“I’m looking forward to seeing him. You never really know ’til you get to the races but he’s trialled well enough to start and I wouldn’t be surprised if he went a good race, despite the draw. He’s a nice sensible colt who’s done nothing wrong and he could develop into a really nice three-year-old.”
Race 6: Lincoln Wave
7.22pm
“He was starting to get into the habit of switching off so we trained him in blinds this week and he went pretty well. He was good from a standing start at the trials with shorteners in and Maurice was actually quite bullish about his standing start manners and thinks that, in time, he’ll end up being a quick beginner. If he steps well, and can land in the first one or two, he’ll definitely be hard to get round.”
Race 6: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.22pm
“He’s not spectacular from a stand but he will get away, albeit sometimes a bit slowly. Lincoln Wave has more speed than him but if it comes down to a slugfest he’d be too strong as he’s rock hard fit.”
Race 8: Prince Lincoln
8.23pm
“The blinds go back on this week and if he steps and leads like he did three starts ago that would make him the one to beat. He showed with that win that he’s above average and will be a serious chance.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.23pm
“You could argue she’s a Cambridge horse but sometimes when you throw them in with the bear cats they lift their game and I thought she was really good here last week. Tony (Cameron) said she’d have finished a bit closer too if he hadn’t had to take hold of her close to home (when he ran out of room and hit a marker pole).”
Race 8: Sammy Lincoln
8.23pm
“We’ve got blinds on him this week. Harry said he lost concentration a couple of times last week, including at the top of the straight, and thought he’d be a bit more on to it with blinds on. I still thought his was the run of the race last time - none of the others could have done what he did - and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him score.”
