Line Up has made a dramatic improvement in the last few days after an abscess burst out of his foot.
Intriguing clash of Lincoln Farms’ colts will go ahead as Ray gives Line Up the all clear
By Barry Lichter • 2 October 2019
Line Up will line up at Cambridge tomorrow night after showing further improvement this morning.
Trainer Ray Green only jogged the smart colt but didn’t detect any lingering soreness from the foot abscess which earlier in the week threatened to keep him out of the first Sires’ Stakes heat.
“He was better again today and by tomorrow he should be really good. I’m not too worried at all now.
“Sometimes these things can linger for quite some time but in this instance we’ve been lucky.
“It’s impossible to say how far down on his best he’ll be but obviously he could be going into the race better.”
Green wouldn’t hazard a guess on whether Line Up would beat stablemate Copy That and said stable driver Zachary Butcher’s declaration for Copy That simply reflected the fact he didn’t want to potentially miss out on a drive as the deadline was yesterday.
Butcher’s dad David will pilot Line Up, who has been favoured in the draws and starts from gate three, with Copy That in six.
“There’s not much between the two of them and it will come down to who gets the better run.”
While Green rates Mighty Looee a chance, his pair will now be at short quotes with the TAB bookies.
The Line Up v Copy That clash will see heavyweight Australian owners Emilio Rosati and Merv Butterworth lock horns, Butterworth having bought Copy That from Green’s wife Debbie late last season.
Both colts are blessed with high speed and while Line Up has had much better manners so far, Copy That showed he was much more comfortable going left-handed when scoring a super trial win at Cambridge a couple of weeks ago.
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Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.40pm
“She’s going as good as she can. She’s got a bit of speed but isn’t that strong. But she should get a nice trip here and be right in the frame. She’ll win one soon.”
Race 1: Jessie Lincoln
5.40pm
“She’s a big filly who has taken time to mature but she has plenty of ability. She’s a good pacer and I expect her to improve on her resuming run and go well.”
Race 1: Lincoln Dealer
5.40pm
“He’s a bit of a handful, too keen for his own good sometimes, so I’ll be happy to see him just get round and do most things right. He’s no superstar but he’s coming to it slowly but surely. We’re throwing him in the deep end here and he has a terrible draw but we have to start somewhere.”
Race 4: Lincoln Maree
7.04pm
“She’s as tough as old boots and tries like hell and you can’t ask for much more than that. She just lacks a bit of speed but has a good attitude. She usually finds one or two better than her but will make them work for it anyway.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Prince Lincoln
4.56pm
“He’ll be improved for the last run, has trialled and is working well, and has a better draw (the ace) this time. You just have to be a bit wary because he’s let us down a couple of times.”
Race 3: Angelic Copy
5.56pm
“She had a tie-up issue but seems much better now. It’s her first run for a while so she’ll definitely need the run. I’m just hoping she gets around all right and pulls up OK.”
Race 3: Colonel Lincoln
5.56pm
“He’s a very capable horse, if injury prone, and he’s been back in work for three or four months. You never say never but, realistically, he’s just starting off so you can’t expect him to be at his peak.”
Race 5: Sammy Lincoln
6.55pm
“I know I said it two starts back but if there’s such a thing as a certainty, he’s it. Even from seven on the gate, everything says he’s the one to beat. If he hadn’t gone a bit goofy up the home straight last time in the Sires’ Stakes Semi at Cambridge, he’d have easily run third. This is a huge drop in class.”
Race 7: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.58pm
“I expect he’ll be a bit sharper this time. He’s looking well and feeling good but I still think another run under his belt will be beneficial for him. He’s not one to leap out of the ground but he is capable of taking the race.”
