Lincoln Lover, centre, is only a neck behind subsequent Group I winner Allamericanplayer, outer, at Auckland in March.
Punters quick to join Fergie in consummating his affair with Lincoln Lover at Auckland
By Barry Lichter • 10 September 2025
Forget the form line, Lincoln Lover is going well enough to beat his older rivals at Auckland on Friday night.
It didn’t take too long for punters to snap up the $5.50 odds on the Bettor’s Delight colt, weight of the early money caving his odds to $4.40 in a non-winners’ race that looks leagues below the quality he met in last week’s Sires’ Stakes heat.
Not for the first time in three runs this prep, driver Peter Ferguson found himself in a non-winnable position, out the back from a wide draw and still there 400 metres from home.
But the little colt still finished on well for 10th, his closing sectionals of 57.7 and 28.2 bettered only by winner Cyclone Rebel and War Chief.
The effort did nothing to dim the love affair Fergie has with Lincoln Lover, who in his previous two starts was starved for room up the straight when a close sixth behind Special Occasion, and sat parked for the last lap before finishing only two lengths behind Andretti, Prince Lincoln and Alecto.
“His last start was a complete non-event, it was only a sprint up the straight,” Green said. “With any kind of a trip on Friday he’ll show them more of what he can do.
“Lincoln Linda has more speed than him but he’s got the manners and he tries like hell.”
Lincoln Linda ($5.50) is surprisingly tight in the market given her antics in last week’s Sires Stakes hear for fillies when she was virtually unrestrainable four wide, then three wide with no cover for the remainder of the race.
“It was all self inflicted,” Green said. “She gets herself so wound up.
“The weird thing is that in front she’s lovely, and drops the bit, but getting there is the hardest part. We’ve had problems with her missing the start when she’s a bit awkward.
“If she did things right, and could lead from one, I can’t see how they’d beat her, but that’s a big question mark.
“She trained well on Tuesday so she’s in good shape.”
Generous odds
Another who has pleased Green in training this week is Debbie Lincoln ($19, $3.50) who is at generous odds in the Nevele R Fillies’ heat.
“She tied up on us again after her last start but her bloods are good again so it looks like she’s over that. At her best she’d be a serious chance.
“She could be in need of a race or two to be on the very top of her game but, if she gets a good trip, I could see her being right in it.”
Tyson ($5, $1.70) is always right in it and Green rates him a strong each-way chance in the fourth race.
“He’s looking great and he’s a real slugger. Some people under-rate him but he keeps getting the money.”
Green believes hot favourite Confederate ($2) will need everything to go his way again, after winning from the trail last week.
Tyson, on the other hand, loves nothing better than to tough it out, the parked out spot fast becoming his favourite.
More news in Harness
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Two (not so) secret weapons help Lincoln Farms to $29,287 payday at Cambridge
Deb dresses her latest ‘Copy’ weanling in white and he delivers a Major coup
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
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.”
