Like his dad Dundeel, Lincoln Falls is a cracker

He looks a lot like his sire, champion galloper Dundeel, and the way Lincoln Falls is shaping up, he should start his career on a winning note at Woodville on Friday.

Lisa Latta makes no secret of the regard in which she holds the three-year-old, who is unbeaten in two trials, both at Foxton.

“He’s an exciting young horse who has a lot more natural ability than a lot of the other three-year-olds I’ve had. He’s right up there with the best in the stable.’’

Lincoln Falls, a $200,000 buy for Lincoln Farms at New Zealand Bloodstock’s ready to run sale in November 2017, first telegraphed his promise in March when running away from a trial field at Foxton, run on a dead track.

“He went shin sore after that and had about eight weeks off,’’ says Latta.

Lincoln Falls cut a fine dash at the Foxton trialsReappearing at Foxton on August 28, the colt was even more impressive. Under a hold throughout, three wide just in behind the speed, he came widest on the home turn and cruised to the line.

While only credited with a head and half head margin, his opposition were under rides while Jonathan Riddell sat still, letting the showy colt run to the line under his own steam.

“Jonathan said he was doing it easily and he didn’t ask him for much.’’

Latta says the horse is not unlike Dundeel, who won 10 of his 19 starts and $6.3 million in stakes before being retired to stud at Arrowfield in New South Wales.

‘‘He’s not big but nice and neat, and a real athlete.’’

Latta says with his relaxed way of galloping, she expects he will eventually be seen at his best over longer trips than Friday’s 1100 metres.

Given Lincoln Falls easily coped with a heavy 10 track in his latest trial, Latta says he won’t have any trouble with the conditions at Woodville where she expects the footing to come back to a slow 8.

Lincoln Falls, who is out of the eight race winner Causeway Queen, is one of three horses Latta has nominated for the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton in November, along with Ajay Lincoln and Sir Nate.

Dundeel stands at Arrowfield Stud for a fee of A$27,500A Sebring colt, Ajay Lincoln is talented but has taken time to come back, says Latta, after a bad bout of pneumonia in the summer.

* Dundeel, who won his first five races on end, became the first horse since Octagonal in 1996 to bag the coveted Three-Year-Old Triple Crown - the Randwick Guineas, Rosehill Guineas and Australian Derby.

But just a year later, two days after winning the A$4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he was retired to stud, with both trainer Murray Baker and jockey James McDonald believing the best of him was yet to come.