Frisco Bay cruises home for Zachary Butcher at Auckland on Saturday night. PHOTO: Kirstin Farr/Race Images.
Frisco Bay explosive winner and The Big Lebowski hints at more excitement to come
By Barry Lichter • 22 September 2024
It’s too soon to know if Frisco Bay is up to tackling a derby but trainer Ray Green is liking the path the three-year-old is now on.
Once thought to be the best of Lincoln Farms’ early two-year-olds, Frisco Bay went through a stage where he got too stressed out and beat himself up.
But at Alexandra Park on Saturday night, the three-year-old took his latest prep stats to two wins and a second from four starts when he smashed his rivals in the final race.
Green particularly liked the way the gelding sat quietly in the trial for driver Zachary Butcher before exploding up the passing lane to win, untested, by a length and three-quarters in a slick 2:41.5 for the 2200 metres.
“His manners are a lot better now. For his first few races he was a bit of a runaway but now he relaxes nicely and drives well.
“Zac said he was good in behind. Round the corner when the others were whipping he said it fired him up a bit but he hung on to him until he saw daylight.
“No way they were going to beat him when he sat in the trail and he won really well in the end.
“He’s a nice horse. He always showed a bit and we thought he was our best two-year-old early on. Now he’s actually showing it.
“You’d have to think he has a lot more wins in him. I don’t know if he’s a derby horse or not. A bit of improvement could be needed for that.
“But from now on he’ll have to front up to those horses. We’ll just take it week by week and see where he takes us.”
Green, who bought the Downbytheseaside gelding for just $9000 as a weanling before going into partrnership with Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street, said there was a lot to like about the horse.
“He’s nicely gaited and has enough speed to get a good trip. I wish I had a couple more like him.”
Frisco Bay, who was originally opened at $6 by the TAB bookies, now boasts a bankroll of $44,726 from just 16 starts, with three wins and four placings.
Close fourth
Almost as pleasing on the night for Green was the big performance by The Big Lebowski to finish a close fourth in the Spring Cup (2200m).
In his first race for 15 months, and having only his second standing start, the giant pacer made a safe, if steady, beginning from the inside for champion reinsman Tony Herlihy.
And when he followed eventual winner Sooner The Bettor into the race on the home turn Green thought he looked to be going as well as anything in the field.
“He got home so well and really dug in at the finish. He was poking in between Sooner The Bettor and Merlin at the line.
“I was thrilled with the run. He’d had only one and a half trials (he broke badly at the start in the second one) and was thrown in the deep end.”
In finishing a neck, a length and a head from Sooner The Bettor, The Big Lebowski paced the trip in a swift 2:42.9.
The Big Lebowski will take his next step on a possible New Zealand Cup campaign in the $40,000 The Holmes DG (2700m) at Auckland on October 4.
Before Saturday night he sat 38th in the entry order for the November 12 feature at Addington.
More news in Harness
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Ray cautions punters with no lead this time for Jekyll and Hyde colt Prince Lincoln
Two (not so) secret weapons help Lincoln Farms to $29,287 payday at Cambridge
Deb dresses her latest ‘Copy’ weanling in white and he delivers a Major coup
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
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.”
