Peter Ferguson has a tight rein on Johnny Lincoln, blocked in behind the leaders close to home last week.
‘He’d have run straight past them’ - Fergie tells just how unlucky Johnny Lincoln was
By Barry Lichter • 30 July 2025
The sight of Johnny Lincoln ($3, $1.35) hard held, with no gaps in front of him in the closing stages last week, will again earn him a following at Auckland on Friday night.
The two-year-old finished last of six, but was only 2.4 lengths from winner Big Herb and was full of running, hard held over the last 75 metres by driver Peter Ferguson.
It was the second time in only two starts since he won that the colt has been unlucky, co-trainer Ray Green revealing he’d been spooked by the spray from the mobile cart the previous time, before unleashing the fastest sectionals from the rear.
“Fergie said he’d have run straight past them with a clear run last week,” Green said. “There was a gap in the straight but it closed when he got to it.”
Sent out favourite, Johnny Lincoln didn’t help his chances by travelling too keenly and he had trouble on the bends, particularly the home turn when he lost touch with the trailing runner.
“I’m not sure what happened on that final bend but he’s still a work in progress.
“The trials are virtually useless these days, there aren’t enough horses to learn with, so we threw him in the deep end and have been schooling him at the races.
“He still has a bit to learn but he’s getting better.”
From the pole position on Friday, in a slightly easier race restricted to R38 to R40 horses, Green expects another top run from the Lather Up colt, with fresh runner Miki Mirage ($8, $2.30) a likely threat after good recent workouts.
With a number of Lincoln Farms’ team sitting out a week, it will be left to only Tyson ($7, $2.05) to fly the flag, from a good two draw in the opening race.
Tyson was beaten only a neck and half a neck last week, hampered when locking wheels with runner-up New Kid In Town, who ran out late.
Stewards took no action over the incident with Tyson’s driver Zachary Butcher confirming his horse contributed to the crowding by laying in.
“He dogged up on the pole so we’ve taken it off this week,” Green said. “He’ll get his head round but at least he’ll steer better and go forward.”
Green said while Tyson had to do it tough when caught in the death seat, that would not have worried him.
“He’s lazy and will drop the bit. He’s not one to pull and over-race. He’ll slop around and kick on like he’s had cover.
“Some horses only require a couple of runs but he’s taken a little longer to come to it. But he’s getting better each time and is racing well.
“Both Tyson and Johnny Lincoln are nice horses, as good as anything else in their races, and I’m sure they’ll go well again.”
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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.”
