Prince Lincoln spearheads record-sized team for Lincoln Farms at Cambridge on Friday

Speedy front-runner Prince Lincoln gets the nod as best of the night at Cambridge when Lincoln Farms takes a record team of 13 to the races.

With 11.4% of the runners on Friday night’s card, trainers Ray Green and Nathan Delany have organised three transporters and will have all hands on deck in an operation that will see Andrew and Craig Sharpe, Robert Argue and Green’s wife Debbie also on the tools.

And Green is hoping to take some early honours in the second race when their progressive pacers Prince Lincoln and Major Copy match motors.

Prince Lincoln ($3.30, $1.50) opened favourite after drawing seven on the front row, which gives driver Peter Ferguson the opportunity to strike out for the lead and dominate like he has twice in recent weeks.

With sizzling mile rates of 1:53.8 at Cambridge and 1:53.6 at Auckland, Prince Lincoln has scored hollow 1700 metre wins.

And even when handicapped by a second row draw last start when seventh, the Always B Miki three-year-old excelled, caught three wide for the first lap before looping the field to sit parked outside the leader and eventual winner Incentivise a round from home.

Still third 100 metres out, Prince Lincoln was eventually swamped but finished less then four lengths from the winner.

“I thought he went great,” Green said. “He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that.”

Green suspects there might be an early charge on Friday night with rivals keen to find Prince Lincoln’s back.

“But if he led without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. If there is one, Major Copy will be it. He feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him.”

Green was impressed by how well Major Copy ($7.50, $2.30) handled himself in his stylish win on the course two weeks ago.

“He’s only two and very inexperienced. He’d had only one workout, two trials and one race yet he raced like a professional. He’d never been around with so many horses, got three fence and came wide on the corner.

“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.”

Mystery plunge

Neither Green nor Delany can explain why Spirited Belle’s odds have plummeted from $41 to $9.50 in the opening race.

The now nine-year-old mare has been in the stable for only two weeks and has not been produced at a workout or trial.

Spirited Belle, previously trained by Matthew Collins, had her first start for three years and four months at Auckland on May 29 but did not get away in the score up, tried to unseat driver Sailesh Abernethy, and took no part.

Spirited Belle is the winner of seven races - six in Australia at Hamilton, Ararat, Nescastle and Albion Park (three in December, 2021) and, in an unusual twist, is also a mum, having foaled a Downbytheseaside filly in 2023.

Delany says nothing about the mare’s trackwork would have sparked the punt.

“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.”

Spirited Belle has shown high gate speed in the past - like at Cambridge in December, 2022 when she led easily from five and ran her rivals ragged in 2:40.6 for 2200 metres.

With a best mile rate of 1:53.6 in Australia, the mare obviously had the ability but will need to be right on her game for driver Harrison Orange to cross from the outside of the arm.

Lincoln Maree ($10, $2.90) also draws badly in the same race, on the outside of the second row, but Green says, with luck, she could get some of the purse.

“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.”

One who gets a decent draw upgrade and could belie her formline is Spirit Of God ($7.50, $2.30) in the fourth race.

The six-year-old mare has been undone by wide draws in recent starts, when she has had to work overtime trying for the lead.

“If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”

New stablemate Spirited Peggy ($7, $2.20), like Spirited Belle from the northern stable of Collins, is hard to tip in only her second start for eight months.

A 26-start maiden, the seven-year-old has racked up 10 placings, eight of them at Cambridge.

“She’s had her chance to win one but she has got a bit of speed. I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”

Jessie deserves win

Green is keen on Jessie Lincoln ($8, $2.35) as the best of the stable’s three runners in the sixth race.

“If I was having a bet on one of them 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.”

Lincoln Dealer … winner in waiting. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.Lincoln Dealer ($12, $3) has to contend with the outside of the second row which is a real negative as he’s not one who can be restrained, says Green.

“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - but to his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did.”

Wide to the death seat, Lincoln Dealer finished only 2.4 lengths behind Lucky Luka, with a red light flashing on his head.

“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.”

Green describes Copy N Paste ($17, $3.80) as a tradesman but can’t see him featuring even from gate four.

“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.”

Copy N Paste ran fourth of four in a workout at Pukekohe five days after his last run at Cambridge on May 19 but Green said he touched a wheel and galloped into the home bend.

The bookies give Rivergirl Bella ($26, $4.60) and Angelic Copy ($101, $11) little chance in the eighth race but Green won’t be surprised if one of them can get a piece of the $30,000 Silk Road Final stake.

Rivergirl Bella’s chances were wrecked when she had an early lead battle on the course two weeks ago. “She clawed her way to the front but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”

Angelic Copy just needs a bit of luck, says Green.

“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. She’s not the worst out there.”

Stand start the key

How Sugar Ray Lincoln ($8, $2.70) and Lincoln Wave ($3.70, $1.70) fare in the ninth race will all hinge on the standing start.

Delany fancies Sugar Ray as one of the night’s best and agrees with Green that, while not quick out, he won’t muff it.

Driver Peter Ferguson was happy enough with the horse’s fifth behind Lincoln Wave last time on the course and he gets a 10 metre start on his stablemate this week.

Ironically, Green says that handicap could actually play into Lincoln Wave’s hands.

“He bombed it 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.”

Green said while it was impossible to predict whether Lincoln Wave will step this time, driver Maurice McKendry was confident that, with more practice, he’d end up being really quick away.

With a safe beginning on Friday, Lincoln Wave would become the one to beat.