Major Achievement (Andre Poutama) scores his first win at Cambridge. PHOTO: Ange Bridson.
Penny drops for Major Achievement as loyal Lincoln Farms’ bunch cheers him home
By Barry Lichter • 9 September 2023
Trainer Ray Green was delighted to see Major Achievement get home at Cambridge for some of Lincoln Farms’ most loyal supporters.
But while the Art Major four-year-old scored comfortably enough over the favourite Harold Hanover, Green admitted there was a time when he feared the horse would never make it.
Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street, the nine women Excell Syndicate, Lance Myocevich, the Red and Blue Syndicate, Margaret Rabbitt, the Four Legs Syndicate and Trevor Casey didn’t have much to be excited about early on.
“He was very slow on the uptake,” Green said. “Taller than most he was a slow maturer but more than that it took him a long time to get gaited up.
“But we gave him time to find his feet and he’s come to it now.
“He needs to sharpen his act up further but he will keep improving.”
Green said Major Achievement hadn’t been racing badly before Thursday’s win which was at his seventh start.
“He’s been going some good races with no luck and being a bit green has also cost him. But he got a super trip on Thursday and was good enough to take advantage of it.”
What had looked to be a bad draw, wide out on the gate, morphed into a good one as lead changes saw him promoted from four back in the running line to the one-one sit.
And when driver Andre Poutama unleashed him turning for home he finished best to score by three-quarters of a length.
Major Achievement, who is out of the Soky’s Atom mare Atom Queen, cost just $30,000 at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock yearling sale in Christchurch.
An embryo transplant half brother to Upanatom (27 wins) and Zacharia (12 wins), he is from the Tuapeka Lodge family of Maureen’s Dream, whose daughter Reality Check left big winners Ultimate Sniper (14 wins) and Ultimate Machete (13 wins).
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 4: Tyson
6.59pm
“He was tough again in winning last week. He’s trained on well, is in good shape, and should be right in it.”
Race 4: Sugar Ray Lincoln
6.59pm
“He’s finally getting his act together - he’s gone three good races in a row - and seemingly turned the corner. We’ve had a lot of (vet) work done on him, his feet in particular, and it’s paid off. There’s not much between him and Tyson.”
Race 5: Rivergirl Bella
7.23pm
“She’ll need everything to go her way from the draw. But she’s got a bit of speed. She’s getting there. She wasn’t very strong before and wasn’t tracking too well, but she’s driving right now.”
Race 5: Lincoln Linda
7.23pm
“She’s had a few issues, mostly mental ones, and is still a bit of a handful. It wasn’t very pretty last week but we’re slowly getting her under control. The outside draw might actually help her.”
Race 5: Angelic Copy
7.23pm
“She needs only a half decent trip to feature. She got held up a little bit in the straight at a crucial time last week and that was that.”
Race 6: Prince Lincoln
7.49pm
“He’s drawn the best of ours in three. He got cheated for a run last week. It’s hard to know where he’d have finished without that.”
Race 6: Lincoln Lover
7.49pm
“Ferg reckoned if he’d been able to hold up in the trail last week he would have won. He was very bullish about how he’d gone. The draw’s no help but he can do a bit of work. He’s an honest little guy who saves his best for when the money’s up on racenight.”
Race 6: Johnny Lincoln
7.49pm
“He got a bit keen last week but he should be a lot better this time. He’s still learning and he’s a slow learner. When he does things correctly he’s a pretty nice horse. Hopefully he can get a suck into it from the second row draw.”
