Everybody’s favourite Kevin tops $50,000 - and Ray tips there’s plenty more in store

Everybody loves Kevin.

Around the stables, his great temperament endears him to the workers.

On the racetrack, his never-say-die attitude impresses his drivers.

And among his big group of his owners, he never stops earning praise.

Punters know him as Kevin Kline and, while he was only the sixth favourite of seven starters at Auckland on Friday night, he again rewarded the faithful with his fourth win in just 10 months of racing.

And such has been his progress at Lincoln Farms, co-trainer Ray Green says he’ll be very surprised if he doesn’t progress further up the ranks.

“He’s flown under the radar a bit. But he’s a nice horse who’s getting better and better and there’s no reason why he can’t go on with it.”

Leased from Waikato breeder Pat Laboyrie when just being broken in, Green soon saw enough to recommend Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street exercise a right of purchase.

And today, racing the three-year-old in partnership with many of their party faithful, it’s all going swimmingly.

Brent Mulholland, Priscilla Edmunds, Lance Myocevich, Jason Deane, Trevor Casey, the Red and Blue Syndicate, Ray Menzies, Dave and Daphne Jones and Margaret Rabbitt can’t help but have been impressed by Kevin’s performance on Friday.

After dropping to the rear from five on the gate, driver Maurice McKendry made a short-lived bid to improve down the back straight the first time, thewarted by rivals moving out in front of hm.

Driver Maurice McKendry is taken by the way Kevin Kline just keeps going.Still second last at the bell, McKendry waited until turnng out of the back straight the last time before unleashing Kevin Kline on a three-wide challenge.

And, despite the slushy conditions, he kept up a strong run to get the better of Beta Prepare 50 metres out and win comfortably by three-quarters of a length.

Timed to run the 2200 metres in a respectable 2:42.9, Kevin Kline was clocked over his last 800 in 58.6 and 400 in 29.8.

“He worried them all out of it and was going away at the finish,” Green said. “Maurice said he was impressed because he just keeps going. He likes the horse, everybody does.

“He’s a big, tall gangly horse but he’s great gaited and will only strengthen up.”

Incredibly, the Always B Miki-Matai Mies gelding has topped $50,000 in virtually a single preparation, having started racing only in August last year.

And consistency has been a trademark of his performances, with four wins and eight placings from just 22 starts, finishing in the top four 15 times.

Green, while ruing the fact he would now jump to an R59 rating in an system that he says overly penalises winners, believes the horse has the game to keep rewarding his followers.