Leo Lincoln boasts two wins and a placing from four starts at Cambridge. PHOTO: Angelique Bridson.
It’s all up to Leo at Cambridge on Thursday night with Cove and Moose on the easy list
By Barry Lichter • 7 May 2024
Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green will take just three runners to Cambridge on Thursday night with two other regulars on the easy list.
Scintigraphy tests on last-start winner Lincoln Cove found nothing really sinister but revealed inflammation in his knees and hocks, which have been treated.
And impressive Cambridge debut winner Lincoln La Moose is out for six weeks after surgery to correct an epiglottis entrapment.
Green ordered tests on the three-year-old after he surprisingly stopped at Auckland at his last start, driver Andre Poutama reporting he made a noise in the running.
“Something like that had to be going on as he should have won from the front with nobody bothering him,” Green said.
It will be left to Leo Lincoln to spearhead the Thursday team this week, his chances in the second race helped already by an early scratching.
Leo comes in to gate four in the now seven-horse field, giving driver Maurice McKendry a better chance of securing a more economical trip than last time.
“After Maurice had a dab at the lead, and couldn’t get there, that was that. He’s a nice little horse but he can’t sit parked like that.
“This looks to be an easier field, and he should be in the money, though you’d think Irish Whispers would lead from one and be hard to round up.”
Leo Lincoln would only have to run up to the form which saw him run a close third behind Little Spike and Vessem at Cambridge four starts back, when he clocked 2:39.6 for the 2200 metres, to be a serious threat.
He boasts two wins and a placing from four starts at Cambridge.
Green isn’t expecting stablemate Obadiah Dragon to test the favoured pair.
“He doesn’t have the race fitness of Leo and will probably need the race.”
Obadiah Dragon, who will be having his first race for more than a month, had a spin round at the Pukekohe workouts last Saturday, weakening to third after looping the field mid-heat.
But Green said driver Nathan Delany had no option but to let the horse run when he started hitting the footrests.
My Copy scores with plenty in reserve at Cambridge last start. PHOTO: Angelique Bridson.Green will have to wait until the last race before seeing if My Copy can repeat his decisive fresh-up win at Cambridge 12 days ago.
“He really did outclass them but he got a perfect suck along, which he likes, and finished off big.
“I don’t know that he can rough it so he’ll need some luck again from five.
“Perhaps he likes being a bit fresh but he went quite well at the workouts at the weekend so he’s trained on.”
My Copy came from last on the home bend, sweeping up five wide before running on resolutely behind Always B Stunning on closing sectionals of 57.9 and 28.3.
My Copy started from 10 metres in the 2500 metre stand and finished a close fifth behind race rivals D J Rock (second) and Rock Band (fourth).
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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.”
