Louie gets the groceries again unlike his older bro who liked to avoid the checkout counter

Trainer Ray Green is pretty relieved that Louie The Punter is nothing like his older brother.

Double Or Nothing had a $100,000 price tag, looked the best of Lincoln Farms’ early two-year-olds in 2018, only to continually fail to find the line.

Louie, on the other hand, was a relatively cheap $34,000 yearling, showed little or nothing early on, and spent all but the last week of his freshman season in the paddock.

This year, as a three-year-old, and growing into his big frame, he has transformed himself into a winner, bagging his last two starts at Auckland in sub 2:43 times.

Last Friday night at Alexandra Park the Sweet Lou gelding flew the gate and, expertly rated in front by Zachary Butcher, gave Lincoln Farm’s talented reinsman his 802nd career winner, picking himself up from the canvas late to beat Blitzembye by a head.

In his victory speech, John Street credited the skills of Lincoln Farms’ reinsman Zachary Butcher for Louie The Punter’s win.“He’s starting to learn,” Butcher told Green on returning to scale. “Toddy (Todd Mitchell behind Blitzembye) swished me but when my horse saw him he got going again and always had him covered.”

Louie The Punter was credited with a time of 2:42.7 for the 2200 metres, a mile rate of 1:59 with excellent closing sectionals of 56.9 and 28.

“He’s a lovely horse,” Green said. “No champion but very honest, unlike his big brother. He wasn’t genuine and always managed to find one that could beat him. But this guy is a real trier.”

In Double Or Nothing’s defence, Green said he wasn’t the worst racehorse for his owners, even though it took him 14 starts to win. He regularly earned cheques and when he was finally sold in Brisbane his tally read three wins, 10 seconds, five thirds and six fourths for A$49,458 in stakes.

Glenn “The Grocer” Cotterill races Louie The Punter with Lincoln Farms.Lincoln Farms’ boss John Street is glad Louie is shaping up as a better proposition as he races the horse with Rich Lister Glenn “The Grocer” Cotterill.

Street sold his successful Lincoln Rd Pak’nSave supermarket to Cotterill and was keen for him to have another successful racehorse after enjoying many years following the now retired (Let’s) Strike The Gold who won 15 races here and in Australia. Another horse he took a share in, the unraced The Informant, was sacked this week.

Cotterill, who gave a share in Louie The Punter to his mum Ann as a Christmas present, couldn’t make it to Alexandra Park on Friday to see the win, otherwise engaged down country duck shooting.

Green gave all the credit for buying Louie The Punter to Street, admitting the horse didn’t make his hit list at the sales that year.

Out of Love A Gamble, he is a half brother to the brilliant Let It Ride who won 18 races in New Zealand and Australia before being sold to the States where he has won seven of nine starts, taking a record of 1:48.2.