Nightmare draws for seven Jewels favourites - and Copy That cops the worst of it
By Barry Lichter • 28 May 2021
Today’s barrier draw proved a nightmare for almost all the favourites for Sunday week’s Harness Jewels.
Horses who were at unbackably tight odds yesterday for the Cambridge marquee event will drift markedly in the betting including:
- Amazing Dream, who was at $1.15 but has drawn the inside of the second row in the Four-Year-Old Diamond.
- Krug, a $1.45 favourite for the Three-Year-Old Emerald, who is also buried one on the second row.
- Lincoln Farms’ Copy That, at $2.30 before the draw, is landed with the outside of the second row in the Four-Year-Old Emerald, eliminating his gate speed and chance of leading.
- Bettor Twist, $1.25 in the futures market for the Three-Year-Old Diamond, gets eight, the outside of the front row.
- Five Wise Men, a $1.70 pop in the Three-Year-Old Ruby will have to cope with seven on the front line.
- Both Muscle Mountain, $2.10, and Bolt For Brilliance, $2.30, cop seven on the front and two on the second row in the Three-Year-Old Ruby and
- Two-Year-Old Ruby co-favourite Highgrove, at $2.70 yesterday, is wide out in seven.
Only True Fantasy, the $1.60 favourite for the Two-Year-Old Diamond drew well in three while Two-Year-Old Emerald top fancy Akuta, $1.45, will start from five.
Ray Green … Why not an open public draw?Open public draw
Trainer Ray Green was philosophical about Copy That’s draw while still questioning why an open public draw, instead of computer generated alleys, wasn’t done for such a feature meeting.
“It would certainly silence the critics who say the draws are rigged and it would be a useful marketing promotion.”
“But luck’s the name of the game at the end of the day and you’ve just go to cop it I suppose. Somebody’s got to be out there.
“On paper it’s a terrible draw for Copy That but you just don’t know what can happen.
“A lot of drivers panic in those big races and do crazy things they normally wouldn’t do.
“We’ll be looking to lock on to something with a live chance. It would certainly silence the critics if he was to still win. First they said he couldn’t get two miles then he was only a front-runner …
“We’ve won a Jewels from a bad draw before.” (Sir Lincoln drew 11 when he won the Three-Year-Old Emerald at Cambridge in 2010.)”
Ironically, Green says on paper, stablemate Tommy Lincoln could now be the stable’s best shot in the race from three on the gate.
“With his gate speed he could cross Kango and New York Minute, lead and be in the money.
“But I certainly won’t be tipping mine out as winners.”
Both American Dealer and Krug, pictured battling it out here in a Sires Stakes heat last year, have drawn terribly in the Three-Year-Old Emerald.Dealer gets bad hand again
Green and his American owners Gordon Banks and Marc Hanover were also left ruing American Dealer’s continued bad luck in big races after he drew two on the second row in the Three-Year-Old Emerald.
About the only solace for Green was that hot favourite Krug will start inside him, buried on the fence, negating his front-running prowess.
“It certainly becomes a lottery with such big fields. There is definitely a case to be made that we should only have one line of seven or eight horses.”
Green says the irony is that the stable’s least likely runner, Sugar Apple, has been given the best draw and will start from the pole in the Two-Year-Old Emerald.
Sugar Apple made the race only by default, never having placed in three starts and with earnings of just $880, after a slew of withdrawals.
Lincoln Farms’ better performed two-year-old Arden’s Horizon is two on the second row.
All five of Lincoln Farms’ Jewels runners will trial at Cambridge on Saturday.
The fields for Jewels day are:
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Fine Cambridge double but Ray’s packing Lincoln Cove off to Matamata for scintigraphy
34 more meetings in the north next season as Auckland reclaims Friday nights
No way to sugar coat it - it’s tricky to predict what Sugar Ray will do on Friday night
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Major Achievement
5.19pm
“It’s his first race for a while and he hasn’t been setting the world on fire at the workouts. But he’s been racing better animals and this isn’t a stellar bunch. He’s a chance if things go his way. I’ve given Mathew Salaivao the drive.”
Race 1: Commander Lincoln
5.19pm
“He’s an average horse but the last time he raced here in amateur company he all but won. He’ll need luck from the second row but, while I couldn’t label him, he’s a runner’s chance.”
Race 5: Onyx Shard
6.59pm
“She got a bit sick for a while with a virus and I had to back off her. She seems over that now but I’m picking she’ll need a race. This will be like a glorified trial for her.”
Race 8: My Copy
8.14pm
“He came to the end of it so I gave him a little freshen-up and he seems in good shape again. It will be interesting to see how he goes fresh - he may need a race but he’ll appreciate the step-down in class. I’m running him here so he doesn’t come up against any bear cats first-up.”
Race 9: Lincoln Cove
8.47pm
“Hopefully he’s getting better but you’ve just got to take him on trust. He has ability but the desire has been sadly lacking. Zac will have to sit quietly on him as he broke when given only one tap with the stick last time. The small field will suit him as he won’t be too far off them. If he doesn’t make any mistakes, he’ll give them a fright.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 3: Leo Lincoln
6.43pm
“Maurice said he would have finished a lot closer last time than sixth (fourth or even third) had he not locked wheels at the 100. That took all his momentum away. He’s been holding his form well and he gets out well enough to use the inside draw. He’s a chance to get some of the money.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.39pm
“He did have marks on his boot after his last run and trying a spreader on him has helped. But he’s a real baby. He has real ability but he’s still developing mentally and physically and we’re still finding our way with him.”
Race 5: Lincoln Lou
7.39pm
“He’s racing well but he’ll find it tough from the outside draw.”
Race 6: Debbie Lincoln
8.07pm
“I can’t see her improving enough to give the Purdon/Phelan trio a fright. She can go (fast) enough but still has a lot to learn. The main thing for her is getting round safely. She’s put two in a row now so hopefully she’ll start improving.”
Race 10: Lincoln La Moose
9.59pm
“He had an excuse last time - he got wiped out on the first corner and that was the end of his race. I like him, he’s a nice horse, just not quite as experienced as Frisco Bay.”
Race 10: Frisco Bay
9.59pm
“I lean towards Frisky as the better chance of our two. You can’t fault what he did the other night at Cambridge, and he seems to be on the improve. He’s more reliable than Lincoln La Moose.”
Mark Dux’s comments
Saturday night at Albion Park
Race 6: Captain Nemo
9.40pm NZ time
“I rate him a good top three chance. I’m really happy with the horse. It’s a decent drop in grade for him and I think maybe we roll the dice, go forward, and take our chances. As long as he doesn’t have to burn stupidly off the gate, if he can find the top, they’ll know he’s in the race.”
