Kevin Kline (Maurice McKendry) handed out a thrashing on Friday night. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.
Ray: Improving Kevin Kline won’t be out of place in the bright lights of Broadway
By Barry Lichter • 30 November 2024
Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green is looking forward to tackling richer purses over Christmas-New Year with Kevin Kline after his dominant win at Auckland on Friday night.
“He gave them a comprehensive flogging and he’s potentially a really nice horse,” Green said after driver Maurice McKendry speared the two-year-old clear to beat Spirited Peggy by two and a quarter lengths.
“Maurice said he just jogged it. And even though he ran only 2:44.8, if he’d had to go 2:42 or 2:41, no problem.”
Kevin Kline earned a winning stake of $8250 plus an Entain bonus of $6000, Green miffed the two-year-old incentive was halved because it was not solely a race for two-year-olds.
“Most of his opposition were just average horses and I know there’ll be more competition for the better purses over Christmas but I’m not too worried as he’s pretty classy.
“It’s a big transition from winning a race to racing other winners, and it can be quite daunting for some, but he’s a bit different.
“Most of the time you win a race and think: what am I going to do now?, but he could develop into a tidy racehorse.”
Green said even though the Always B Miki gelding could already run a half in 55 he would only get better with time.
“He’s tall, but not big bodied so he has a lot of strengthening to come. He’s actually come a long way quite quickly.
“When we first leased him from (breeder) Pat Laboyrie he had been only very basically broken in. He and Tyson were out of the same paddock and had been in the cart only twice I think.”
Green credited Andre Poutama with doing the early breaking in at Lincoln Farms. And, from a timid baby who didn’t really know what was going on, Kevin Kline now enjoyed his jogging.
“He’s done a good job from a humble start and to win at only his fifth start shows he’s a pretty good horse.”
Kevin Kline is the eighth and last foal of six-race winner Matai Mies, his first two foals the best, Emily Blunt and Happy Place, who both won eight races.
Green said there had been no shortage of people wanting shares in the horse, one of the latest of Lincoln Farms’ special partnerships.
The big team now includes Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street, Priscilla Edmunds, Lance Myocevich, Trevor Casey, the Red and Blue Syndicate, Ray Menzies, Dave and Daphne Jones, Margaret Rabbitt, Jason Deane and Brent Mulholland.
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Bang! Lincoln Wave’s tyre blows out, startling rival drivers but Alabar win would shock more
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.44pm
“She did well here last time as she had to do a bit to get to the lead and she dug in and fought on. She’s certainly a chance if she repeats that effort.”
Race 4: Lincoln Linda
7.09pm
“I thought she went super last time after doing a lot of work. She can do that because she has an engine and is tough. She’s a bit one-dimensional - you have to turn her loose early - but from the two draw she should be able to lead and that’s where she does her best work.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.34pm
“I think he’s a bit stronger after his spell. It’s not a great field - most will die on that mark - and I don’t see a problem with the standing start as he’s nicely gaited. He could be marginally unfit after three months out but he’s done quite a bit of work and I can see him going a half-decent race.”
Race 6: Lincoln Maree
7.59pm
“She had every chance last time but I can’t see why she won’t go well again. She’s as honest as they come and tries like hell.”
Race 7: The Night Fox
8.29pm
“You’d think he’d lead easily from the inside. He’s had bad draws and still got the money, so I’m sure he’ll go another good race. I’m surprised they sold him so cheaply. He’s better than people think.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Lincoln Wave
5.09pm
“With the trip he got in the Harness Million I thought he’d have run on a lot better. But he was still a bit short on fitness and sometimes we can expect too much of these horses, he was racing the best, after all. It’s a big drop in grade here and he’s a pretty fair horse.”
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.09pm
“He’s an honest sort who’s in a good space but he won’t get a wonderful trip from the outside of the gate this time so I’m not holding my breath.”
Race 3: Sammy Lincoln
6.04pm
“He’s training down well but you never know what he’s going to do. You think you’ve got him sorted and he does something silly. But we know if the real Sammy turned up, he’d be very hard to beat as he’s got a lot of speed.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
7.05pm
“He’s another where you don’t know which one will turn up but we’ve gelded him since his last run, so we’ll see if that helps. He trained well the other day.”
