Leo Lincoln … “he feels like a good horse.”
Drop in class and draw upgrade points to Leo Lincoln earning a cheque at Cambridge
By Barry Lichter • 8 August 2023
Leo Lincoln looks well placed to earn his first cheque for Lincoln Farms at Cambridge on Thursday night.
While the two-year-old hasn’t flattered in three runs for trainer Ray Green at Auckland, he looks to have an easier assignment in the fifth race for his first visit to the Waikato.
“The drop in class and decent draw makes him a contender,” says Green.
Whereas Leo Lincoln has been handicapped by draws of nine and seven in two of his starts, he gets a significant upgrade to three this week.
“I’m sure he’ll get out OK and, barring bad luck, I’d like to think he can earn a cheque this time.”
Leo Lincoln finished eight lengths from winner Tualou last week, driver Andre Poutama doing a skilled job at negotiating heavy traffic before switching in for a run in the home straight.
“I thought he should have run on a bit better but he was beaten by much better horses than he meets this time.
“I thought he’d have done better by now because he feels like a nice horse but we probably chucked him in the deep end a bit soon.
“He struggled for a while but then he lifted his game almost overnight.”
Green is hoping Leo Lincoln can show the same sort of ability that his close relative Alta Intrigue produced for the stable a few years ago.
His dam Alta Valencia is a half sister to Alta Intrigue who racked up four races and 10 seconds for Green and was placed in the 2017 Northern Derby behind Raukapuka Ruler and Ultimate Machete before his sale to Western Australia were he won another 10 races.
Lincoln Cove … three wide with no cover for the entire trip last start. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.Lincoln Cove (Downbytheseaside - Everlasting Grace), who comes from a prolific Woodlands Stud family himself, has yet to inspire in two runs but as Green points out he hasn’t really had a fair crack yet.
On debut, from an inside second row draw, he was last turning for home and passed three in the run home.
And last start, from seven, he was trapped three wide the entire way, with no cover.
“He’s been inconvenienced each time and from the second line draw he’ll need a bit of luck again.”
Green’s third runner on the night, Beaudiene Rocknroll, has another bad draw (seven) in the eighth race but Green hinted he’d be going foward from seven.
“He doesn’t like it in behind. He likes rolling along. That seems to be how he goes best.
“I’ll leave it to Andre but we’ll probably try to get handy if we can.”
Beaudiene Rocknroll’s best effort in eight starts was at Cambridge in June when he speared to the front from six and cleared out to win by three lengths.
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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.”
