Ray: Sam looks like he’s back to his best but it’s not as Simple as that - small fields a trap

A smart weekend workout win showed Simply Sam had his foot firmly on the till but trainer Ray Green still has one reservation about his chances at Auckland on Friday night.

Simply Sam looked very sharp in his Pukekohe workout last Saturday, sprinting from the trail to beat the highly touted Fernleigh Cash, with closing sectionals of 57.2 and 26.9.

But while he looks to have his best chance of making an overdue return to the winner’s circle in the eighth race, with just five rivals, it’s the small field that actually worries Green.

“These small fields can be tricky races because they walk and only sprint home and, if you’re back, you’re buggered.”

Getting back and flying home became a trademark of Simply Sam’s last season though driver Maurice McKendry did show he had another string to his bow last June when he planted him in the death seat a lap from home and the three-year-old found plenty to stave off an in-form Zarias at the finish.

Green believes Simply Sam is the best horse in the race on Friday night and therefore must still be hard to beat.

Simply Sam is too strong for Zarias at Auckland last season. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.The way he closed off his last start race at Cambridge, sprinting home from last and wide on the home turn for a close fourth behind New York Minute, hinted he was a winner-in-waiting.

“He’s a pretty nice horse. This time last year he was the best horse racing up here - he clearly had a lot of potential.

“In hindsight, we probably shouldn’t have taken him to Australia. The trip didn’t help. He didn’t do that well and came back a twit and we had to geld him.

“But nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sometimes you have to chance your arm and find out if they’re what you’re hoping they’ll be.”

Despite winning a lead-up race at Shepparton last September, Simply Sam found his Victoria Derby opposition too good, running a distant third to boom pacers Captain Ravishing and Leap To Fame in a heat and finishing eighth in the final.

“The trip and his subsequent gelding took a lot out of him and he’s just coming back to it now,” Green said.

“He’s had his share of adversity, also having that tie-up problem in June. But he’s over that now and I’m very happy with the way he’s going at the moment.

“I think he’ll go a good race. I’d like to see him produce his best again.”

Green says he respects the higher rated New York Minute who is “a nice horse with the right trip” and last-start winner winner Magic Four, while only fourth in last weekend’s workout, wasn’t pulled out, off the back of Fernleigh Cash, in the run home.

Onyx Shard is promising but has a tough draw for fresh-up run.Nice filly but needs experience

Green warns not to expect too much of two-year-old Onyx Shard who is fresh-up for three and a half months in the fifth race against older opposition.

“Drawing the outside of the front line will make it tough for her but we’ve got to start somewhere.

“She won’t be put in the race early. She’ll go back and hopefully get into it late.

“I’m not expecting anything wonderful. I think she’ll need a race or two.”

Onyx Shard, who is raced by Lincoln Farms’ business manager Ian Middleton and two of his mates Paul Humphries and Ian Harris, showed her potential in April, winning on Grins night at Cambridge in April, albeit from a perfect two hole trip.

“She needs more experience but I’m hopeful she’ll morph into a filly who can front up in the better races later on. I’m pointing her in that direction anyway.”

The Sweet Lou filly has trialled twice, beating Sparkie in her first workout on July 13 before running third to Bo Duke and race rival Hugotastic last Saturday in a heat run five seconds slower.