Lincoln Raider can come with big late finish on rain-lashed Hastings track

Rain falling in Hastings today can only help Lincoln Raider when he resumes in a hot field on Saturday, says trainer Lisa Latta.

Lincoln Farms’ talented galloper has not raced for nine months, and isn’t a 1200 metre horse, but Latta says a wet track will slow down the noted speedsters.

Hastings was rated a slow 8 this morning and the forecast is for a total of 24ml to fall today.

But with only a further 3ml tipped for Friday and a sunny day on Saturday, Latta expects the ground to stay in the dead to slow range.

“The track dries out pretty quickly down there but I’m hoping it will suit Lincoln Raider. He can cope with it slow but on a dead track I expect him to be very competitive.”

Two of Lincoln Raider’s wins have been on dead footing but he has also won in slow 8 ground at Trentham and the last time he struck those conditions, last December, he came with a late run for a close fourth at Awapuni.

Big late finishes for fourth are Lincoln Raider’s trademark finishing position fresh-up and he has had three trials to fit him this preparation.

In the latest he was well held by Jonathan Riddell when fourth behind race rival Excelleration.

Gun apprentice Hazel Schofer takes the reins on Saturday, reducing Lincoln Raider’s weight by 3kg to 58kg, the same as Excelleration.

Latta reports the horse galloped very well at Awapuni on Wednesday morning.

“The best thing is he’s good and sound now. From eight he will get back but I expect to see him really finishing it off.”

Sam Collett is reunited with Kamanda Lincoln on Saturday.Kamanda Lincoln has the job in front of him to win the second race.

“He’s done the miles but is still improving and it’s only his second-up run,” says Latta.

What will help Kamanda Lincoln is that he is stepping up to a middle distance after tailing the field home at Hastings over 1600 metres.

But Kamanda Lincoln probably needs even further than 2200 metres - his last two wins have been at 2500 metres, both at Riccarton.

And his strike rate makes sobering reading. Since he scored at Riccarton at the cup meeting in 2017, he has won only one more race in his subsequent 34 starts, and that was two years ago.

His winning jockey that day, Sam Collett, takes the reins again on Saturday, one of two plus signs Latta can find.

The other was his good work on the plough on Tuesday morning when, paired with today’s Otaki runner Lincoln Star, he galloped 1000 metres in 1:04.6, the last 600 in 37.