Final tune-up for Ray’s southern team at Alexandra Park on Friday night

Trainer Ray Green will put the finishing touches to Lincoln Farms’ four-strong southern team at Auckland on Friday night.

Two days before flying to Christchurch with Sugar Ray Lincoln, Lincoln Lou, The Big Lebowksi and Frisco Bay, Green is expecting good runs from each of the quartet who are being primed for feature races in Canterbury, with the cup meeting at Addington in November the ultimate target.

“That’s why we have these horses. When the big money is up you’ve got to be there,” Green said.

Two-year-old colts Sugar Ray Lincoln and Lincoln Lou, who look decent chances in the third race on Friday night, have races on the agenda like the $200,000 Harness Millions at Addington on October 11 and $200,000 Sires Stakes Final on November 12.

Ray Green … “When the big money is up you’ve got to be there.”And, while Green knows Friday’s Holmes DG runner The Big Lebowski is a real longshot to make the $1 million New Zealand Trotting Cup - he’s 34th qualifier at present - he is keen to tackle the $200,000 NZ Pacing Free-for-all at Addington three days later on Show Day, November 15.

“I’d like to get mobiles down south for The Big Lebowksi. The start is the key for him. If he handles the stand well on Friday he’s in with a shot, if not, he’ll get nothing.”

Green is pleased with how The Big Lebowski ($14) came through his excellent resumption at Auckland in the Spring Cup, when he finished just 1.8 lengths behind Sooner The Bettor, Merlin and Lady Of The Light in his first race for more than 15 months.

The giant seven-year-old made a safe, albeit very steady, getaway that night and Green is hoping that over Friday’s longer 2700 metres, a fast start won’t be quite so crucial.

“He seems to be holding up all right and he was good in winning a workout here last week.”

Sent straight to the front by Maurice McKendry, The Big Lebowski held off talented four-year-old Mantra Blue by one and three-quarter lengths, clocking a mile rate of 2:00 flat for the 2050 metres, home in 57.2 and a zippy 26.9.

With last-start driver Tony Herlihy on Cold Chisel on Friday and McKendry behind Lady Of The Light, the drive goes to the stable’s Andre Poutama.

“Andre is very capable of doing the job and we know the horse has the ability, he just needs to do things correctly.”

Sugar Ray Lincoln … a bit of a dummy.Draw no winning edge

Green says while Sugar Ray Lincoln ($6.50) has drawn the pole on Friday and Lincoln Lou is on the outside of the gate, that doesn’t necessarily mean Copy That’s little brother has a winning edge.

“It doesn’t really matter where Sugar Ray draws, as we haven’t asked him to leave the gate yet. He’s a bit of a dummy but he’s slowly but surely getting there.”

Green liked the way Sugar Ray Lincoln kept coming in the home straight last week after driver David Butcher unleashed a lightning move down the back straight to go from last to first.

“David thought he had it won on the corner but said the horse switched off and didn’t rally fast enough when Invisible came at him late.”

Green says he has no explanation why Lincoln Lou ($10) galloped last start as he was crossing to lead on the first corner.

“He’s never done that before. I won’t be telling Andre what to do but I couldn’t see him leaving from the outside this week.

“He seems to have trained on well, I can’t fault him.”

Lincoln Lou is an automatic qualifer for the Sires Stakes Final after his second placing to Captain Sampson two starts back in the opening northern heat. Sugar Ray Lincoln, fourth in the same race, is on the fourth line of qualifiers and is also expected to make the cut.

Two more heats will be held, one at Addington tonight, and the final heat at Ashburton on Flying Stakes day, October 28, which Sugar Ray could contest.

Frisco Bay … will be suited by a faster tempo. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.Pecking order

Green says he’ll learn more about where Frisco Bay ($16) sits in the three-year-old pecking order after Friday night’s fifth race.

Rated R54, Frisco Bay lies at the bottom of the runners with Little Spike (R67) and Jeremiah (R66) towering above him.

“This is by far the toughest field he’s run into so we’ll see if he’s up to that class.”

While Frisco Bay meets much better opposition than last week when he trailed before finishing a close third to Hooray Henry and Always B Elite, Green says the faster tempo that comes with the higher grade will help him.

“He over-raced in the trail last week because they walked and ran the mile in only 1:58.2.

“Tony said I had him trained to go 1:52-1:53 and the slow pace didn’t suit him. He clawed his way into it late but, if they’d gone along a bit, it would have been a whole different ball game.”

How the Sires Stakes picture looks at present.Ranking order for the Sires’ Stakes Final with two heats to run.