Ray looking forward to Lincoln Lou and fully oxygenated Frisco Bay at Cambridge on Friday

“It’s like he’s been here before. He seems to know what to do.”

You can’t help but be impressed by trainer Ray Green’s description of Lincoln Lou who debuts in the first two-year-old race in the north at Cambridge on Friday night.

Given winning early two-year-old races is almost as much about doing things right as having precocious speed, Lincoln Lou ($2.80) looks a great chance, drawn to lead from the pole in the third race.

“He’s done nothing wrong at all,” says Green. “He’s a beautiful little horse and I’m looking forward to seeing him run.

“He’s quite an unassuming horse, you wouldn’t get carried away with his training, he only does what he has to. But he lifts his game when it matters.”

Lincoln Lou has taken the eye in each of his three trials and workouts, beaten only once when pipped late at Alexandra Park on February 9 by race rival Great White.

Green sees Tony Herlihy’s Great White and stablemate Roy Kent as the logical dangers but says from the draw, Lincoln Lou is the one to beat.

“He has good gate speed but at the trials they’ve let him lead. It’s hard to know if one of the others will change their plan of attack.

“It’s hard to know how good he is, or how far he’ll go, but I guess we’ll find out on Friday. If he doesn’t win, he won’t be far away.”

Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street will race Lincoln Lou in partnership with the Cantabrians Plus One Syndicate, the Excell Syndicate, the Green Machine Racing Syndicate, Phil Kelly, David Turner, Brad Baine, Alana Rabbitt, Margaret Rabbitt and the Athenry Syndicate.

Lincoln Farms’ confidence in Lincoln Lou was revealed when it went to $62,500 to buy a Downbytheseaside half brother at the Karaka yearling sale last Sunday.

Frisco Bay was looking very promising as a two-year-old. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.Green is just as excited about the return of Frisco Bay ($3) in the last race, given he initially believed the colt would be his best two-year-old last season.

We never saw it in three raceday starts but it soon became obvious that all was not well with the Downbytheseaside colt.

“We knew something was going on when we heard him making a noise in training a couple of times and he started coming in blowing like hell.”

That simply didn’t fit with the colt who was unbeaten in his first four trials and workouts and whose low heart rate so impressed Green he knew he had a good motor.

“Thankfully we caught it in time and averted disaster,” Green said.

A verterinary inspection revealed Frisco Bay’s air intake was being compromised by two little flaps in his throat, which were trimmed back in relatively minor surgery last year.

“It had probably been developing from day dot so to do what he did under those conditions was amazing. He would have been gasping for air.”

Green says there has been no sign of any recurrence since and Frisco Bay is right in the zone after a second and a win at the workouts, the latest cruising home in 57.6 and 27.5.

“He’s a tidy horse and I’m expecting a big run.”

Green’s chances of winning three races on Friday night rest with the trio of Beaudiene Rocknroll, Onyx Shard and Obadiah Dragon in the eighth race.

Beaudiene Rocknroll … capable front-runner at Cambridge. PHOTO: Chanelle Lawson.Beaudiene Rocknroll ($4.50) has the best credentials of the three, dropping in class, but his chances will depend on how he behaves behind the gate.

“It’s heart-in-the-mouth stuff with him until they let them go but he should step away this time.”

While Beaudiene Rocknroll blew the start last time at Cambridge, galloping behind the arm and giving his rivals a start of half a dozen lengths, Green said he had an excuse. “Zac (Butcher) said the gate went particularly slowly before that race and that’s why he got impatient. I thought he did well to recover for third.”

On Friday night Butcher will be hoping that from six on the gate he can cross to the lead, where the horse relaxes best. He showed that again at last Thursday’s Pukekohe workouts, in an all-the-way win over Hesashorething and Hail Lucius, home in 57.5 and 27.5.

Onyx Shard has the best draw of the Lincoln Farms’ trio and Green says she should be right in the hunt from two.

“It’s two and a half months since she last raced, and she didn’t grow as much as I thought she would, but I’m expecting her to go a good race. Her last two trials have been good and she’s pulled up well.”

Obadiah Dragon will need a good trip from five but Green says he’s not out of it.

“He went a good race last time at Cambridge and would be as equal a chance as Onxy Shard.”

In his last start on December 29, Obadiah Dragon enjoyed a one-one trip, hit the lead turning for home and was swamped only late by the much improved Hampton.

Green says he won’t be holding his breath when Commander Lincoln lines up from a niggly six draw in the fifth race.

“He tries hard enough but he lacks a bit of high speed.”