Nandor finds his mojo on the provincials but bad draw makes it harder on Thursday
By Barry Lichter • 9 December 2020
Don’t expect to see Franco Nandor back racing at Auckland any time soon after he fell in to score at Palmerston North yesterday.
Trainer Ray Green, who will back the horse up on the second night of the meeting on Thursday, says the result shows the three-year-old is best suited to provincial racing.
“We’ve found the level at which he’s most competitive and hopefully he can get some money again on Thursday, but it will be a lot harder from the second line.”
Franco Nandor moves from two on the front line, from where he was able to find the lead on the first day, to three on the second row in the sixth race.
From there it will be up to driver Zachary Butcher to try to find an economical trip for the horse on the turning Manawatu circuit.
“I’m not sure what his problem is but he gets very nervous and stressed out,” says Green.
“Sometimes it’s like he’s decided he doesn’t want to be a racehorse. Zac said he felt enormous at the top of the lane but was looking to get out of it soon afterwards.”
To his credit, Franco Nandor didn’t throw it away completely and at the line held a half head margin over Mac’s Tomado, who sat parked throughout and lost crucial ground on the home turn through pacing roughly.
Franco Nandor’s win was the second for Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street and their partners in the horse, top golfer Ryan Fox, Denis Ebert, Steve MacDonald, Chris Prutton and Wayne Seebeck.
In slushy conditions Franco Nandor clocked a mile rate of 2:03.6 for the 2000 metres, closing in 59.2 and 30.1.
Green credits the wet track with helping Brian Christopher into second in the last race as he only had to run home his last 800 metres in 61.4.
“He doesn’t have a lot of speed and the wet track probably brought the faster ones back to his level.”
Brian Christopher, having only his second race and first for four and a half months, enjoyed a nice run through from the second row to score the early one-one but was soon left parked out.
The Bettors Delight three-year-old hit the lead just before turning for home and kept battling away, swamped late by the stronger finishing Nerano.
On Thursday, in the third race, he lands a better draw of two, from where he should get a much easier trip and be able to stay in touch.
While limited, Green says Brian Christopher is honest and he’s hoping he can be in the finish again.
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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.”
