It’s one happy story after another for Bell and his mates with their Lincoln partnerships

Long time Christchurch journalist Kevin Bell can hardly believe the fun he’s having with his Lincoln Farms pacers.

Not only is he now a regular visitor to the winners’ circle, he’s enjoying the rare thrill of competition at harness racing’s most elite level.

When Bell started out breeding and racing standardbreds in the 1970s, his results were “very ordinary’’.

And while there was a 30-year hiatus - when he drifted into thoroughbred racing, becoming Racing Editor of the Christchurch Star - Bell’s first harness winner did not come until Lincoln Farms’ Killer Queen dead-heated at Cambridge in April, 2015.

And Bell and the mates who talked him into getting involved in Lincoln Farms’ unique racing partnerships haven’t looked back, scoring a string of wins with one headliner after another.

While Bell’s first love was with gallopers - he was in a syndicate which won 10 races and $180,000 with Wazawatsyn - he was easily persuaded to take a small interest in Killer Queen.

Cheers … Kevin Bell, second from left, with the original Christchurch crew, from left, Brian Rabbitt, Denis James and Michael Brereton, celebrating the sale of Beaudiene Western.His mates enjoyed the ride of their lives when their two-year-old Beaudiene Boaz scored an upset win at the 2014 Harness Jewels at Cambridge for trainer Ray Green.

And when the horse was sold immediately afterwards for $250,000 to Western Australia, suddenly their $40,000 investment rewarded them with a $100,000 windfall.

Bell had a ball following Killer Queen, making numerous trips north to Auckland during her career which netted six wins and $132,000 here before moving to Australia where she won another $23,000.

“We were up at Kumeu looking at her one day when we saw a young horse running round the paddock and Ray said if he was going to go into a horse, it would be that fella.’’

Bell and his mates followed Green’s advice, joining a partnership in showy black Zach Maguire, who won five races and $57,000 before being sold to Western Australia.

Killer Queen … started the ball rolling for Bell.By now Bell was hooked and the next horse he was put into as a replacement was Spring Campaign, who won four races and $52,000 before his sale to Brisbane.

Bell and his mates were partying again a week ago celebrating the huge sale of Beaudiene Western to Perth - following in the footsteps of his half brother Beaudiene Boaz, the horse who first kindled the ride - his 2.5% share in the horse netting a tidy little profit.

“This is easily the pinnacle of my standardbred involvement,’’ says Bell. “We’ve had horses in the last three Harness Jewels and Recco Lover was in the Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington last year. It’s great just having the chance to get a horse into those kind of races.’’

The winning feeling has been so infectious Bell’s mates in the Marist Rugby Club, who have raced horses for 20 years under the Green Machine syndicate banner, took up 5% of the Beaudiene Western partnership and fellow three-year-old Trojan Banner, who looks to have his foot on the till again.

Recco Lover … Mr Consistent with five placings from five starts this season.Bell still has Recco Lover to go on with - and on Friday night at Auckland Recco will be looking to improve on his five placings from five starts this campaign.

But Bell and his crew are already looking over the new crop of two-year-olds which Green is putting through their paces at Pukekohe, keen on joining partnerships in two of them, Man Of Action one they have already chosen.

And it’s not as if it’s breaking the bank. With costs fixed at $2300 a month, Bell’s 2.5% share comes to just $57 per horse.

Bell reckons that’s a small price to pay for all the excitement he’s having.

“We’re not in this for the money, it’s for the fun.’’