Onyx Shard and Peter Ferguson stave off Dixieland Delight at Manawatu. PHOTO: Jack McKenzie/Race Images.
Fergie takes the initiative and Onyx Shard delivers again for the galloping buddies
By Barry Lichter • 9 April 2025
It was only a mid-week meeting at Manawatu but Onyx Shard still brought plenty of joy to Lincoln Farms and her owners.
The Sweet Lou four-year-old notched her third win on Tuesday for Lincoln Farms’ business manager Ian Middleton and his galloping mates Paul Humphries and Ian Harris.
“A win’s a win as anybody in horses will tell you they’re hard to come by. Paul was thrilled to win as she’s still his only pacer.”
Harris also toasted the success, though the $6050 winner’s purse would hardly have registered, given he has a share in topliner Republican Party who took home $40,000 for running sixth in last week’s The Race by Betcha at Cambridge and has a bankroll of $756,340.
Onyx Shard now has career earnings of $35,184 from 24 starts and with a six point re-rating now finds herself on R45.
“She’s no world-beater but she can compete in the lower grades. But she’s limited here in that she’s better the left-handed way round so it’s ether Manawatu or Cambridge.
“Ray Green has always said she’s a nice mare who’ll keep improving but as with all Lincoln Farms’ horses she’s for sale. We were offered a lowball price recently but it was unrealistic.”
Co-trainer Nathan Delany with Onyx Shard who kept up Lincoln Farms’ good recent record at Manawatu. PHOTO: Jack McKenzie.With the last two-day Manawatu meeting scheduled for the end of the month, Middleton expects Onyx Shard will again be part of the Lincoln Farms’ team which has been campaigned successfully by co-trainer Nathan Delany in the Central Distrcits in recent weeks.
And Middleton is happy for Peter Ferguson to retain the drive after his mid-race move round the field to park proved the winning of the race.
“Like all horrible armchair drivers I liked seing her put in the race. He must have heard my comments on Sunday when I said there’s no use going from the turn because you can spit down the straight there.”
The difference, of course, was that on Sunday Onyx Shard’s opposition went 3.3 seconds faster than on Tuesday, preventing Ferguson from getting round from the back.
“It was quite a strange race yesterday, they went hard early, and Fergie made his move at just the right time when they slowed.”
At the line, Onyx Shard was still fighting and had a neck on Dixieland Delight, the 2000 metres run in 2:30.1, a mile rate of 2:00.8.
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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.”
