Louie The Punter has taken time to grow into his big frame. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.
Memo to Cambridge punters: Louie’s a different horse now he’s grown into his frame
By Barry Lichter • 7 April 2021
Forget Louie The Punter’s 798 formline when he resumes at Cambridge on Thursday night.
In the eight months since we last saw Louie The Punter on the racetrack he’s done plenty of growing and filling out, says trainer Ray Green.
“He was just too weak last time. He’s a big horse and he had a lot of growing issues.
“But he’s starting to come to it now and the way he’s been training and trialling, I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.
“The draw’s awkward but he’ll still go well as there’s nothing wonderful in the field.”
Louie The Punter will start from the inside of the two-horse second row which will negate the good gate speed he has shown in two recent runs in a workout and trial, both of which he has won from the front end.
On March 27 at Pukekohe he beat Ronda and Time Out over 2050 metres in a 2:04 mile rate and four days later he was too good for Nyla and Shirley Bromac, getting home by a neck in a mile rate of 2.03.3 in slushy conditions.
“If he races as well as he’s trialled he’s a definite chance,” Green said.
By Sweet Lou out of Love A Gamble, Louie The Punter is a brother of Lincoln Farms’ former consistent pacer Double Or Nothing and a half brother to the brilliant Let It Ride who has continued his excellent Australian form since beng sent to the States where he now boasts a fastest time of 1:48.2 and a record of 24 wins and nearly half a million dollars in stakes.
Captain Nemo after his gutsy win at Palmerston North last start. PHOTO: Royden Williams.Captain Nemo and Tartan Robyn gave the stable a solid hand in the sixth race, Nemo nicely placed in three and Tartan Robyn the only horse on the second line.
Captain Nemo has shown real grit in his latest two wins, trapped three wide most of the way at Cambridge and parked throughout at Palmerston North.
“I had high hopes for him early on but he didn’t rise to the occasion. He’s probably still not strong enough but he’s well up to this lot and I think there’s still a fair bit of improvement in him.”
Green rates Tartan Robyn just as good a winning chance with a big drop back in class from what he’s been racing at Auckland.
“The draw’s awkward but if he gets a reasonable trip he should win.
“He raced super last time - three wide from the 1300. He’s gone well every time we’ve tried him but just had no luck.”
With a form line of 64544 since arriving from the deep south, Tartan Robyn has never been far away despite bad trips.
In his last start on March 26, he went back to last from the outside of the gate and rode the three wide train from the 1300 metres.
In doing his best work late, he clocked his last mile of the 2200 metres in 1:56.4, the fastest in the race, to finish fourth to The Honey Queen, Cya Art and Show Me Heaven.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
