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.
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.
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.
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.’’
More news in Harness
Aaargh, pipped on the post, but from the pole Argyle can make a big splash this week
Lenny, Leo and La Moose surprise Ray and make it a big night for Lincoln Farms
Argyle running the hands off the clock every week and he’s a top three chance on Saturday
Sugar Ray can deliver knockout blow from the ace in opening Young Guns heat at Auckland
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Mark Dux’s comments
Saturday night at Albion Park
Race 4: Argyle
10.09pm NZ time
“Hell go into the race as one of the favourites for sure and he’ll get a nice trip whether we lead or trail and he should finish top three again. We’ll come off the gate well and hopefully be good enough to hold Alta Magacian beside us. But even if he crosses us, that’s not a bad scenario, as he’s a decent horse who should get us to the corner.”