Frisco Bay is too fast for Major Major and Clouding Over at Alexandra Park. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.
Ray’s swift-footed cheapie Frisco Bay eyes $35,000 stake of Metro Final next Friday
By Barry Lichter • 31 August 2024
It’s safe to say few, if any, of Frisco Bay’s rivals in Friday night’s $35,000 Northern Metro Series Final at Auckland came with a price tag of just $9000.
And after showing a dazzling turn of foot to win his heat last night, Frisco Bay will be out to bag a $19,250 winner’s purse in the first of the club’s innovative new series.
Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green paid just $9000 for Frisco Bay as a weanling in 2001, a bargain buy when you consider his main rival in the final, Lazarus gelding Jeremiah, was an $80,000 yearling.
But there was nothing to suggest the Downbytheseaside - Idealistic three-year-old came from the wrong side of the tracks when, in the hands of Zachary Butcher, he put his rivals to bed with a terrific turn of foot early in the home straight.
“Zac said he was absolutely cruising on the corner and once he headed them he actually switched off,” Green said.
It was an impressive performance given the leader was clocked over the last 800 metres in 56.2 and Frisco Bay came three wide from the rear down the back straight and four wide into the home bend.
“His manners let him down early on - he’d get too keen and would have to be put into the race - but he’s nicely mannered now.”
Green said driving conservatively early allowed Butcher to use Frisco Bay’s quick speed to the best effect and he believed he was heading in the direction of being able to compete with the top three-year-olds.
“But we have no grandiose plans, we’ll just take it one step at a time.”
What Frisco Bay looked like as a weanling at Woodlands Stud.Now a two-race winner, Frisco Bay’s first test against stronger opposition will come on Friday when he will meet, among others, second heat winner Harness Million placegetter Jeremiah and Hawkeye Pierce, who ran a very game second in the fourth heat last night after doing a lot of work from a bad draw.
“If we can get some of it next week we’ll be happy,” said Green who races Frisco Bay with Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street.
“He was pretty forward to resume last night - he trialled really well and had been training really well prior to that - but he’ll obviously improve with the run under his belt.”
Green said he was attracted to the horse as a weanling because “he wasn’t a typical Downbytheseaside which are all big, rangy types. He was more compact and quite muscular.”
It was those attributes which trumped the comparatively mediocre ability shown by his dam Idealistic who won six races but never attained a rating higher than R53 despite running 10 seconds, 16 thirds and 13 fourths in his 122 starts.
“And when you’re outlaying only $9000 you don’t have to go cap in hand to the bank manager.”
The 12 automatic qualifiers for Friday night’s final at the Park are:
Heat 1: Claude (2:40.8), Always B Elite, Ideal Delight.
Heat 2: Jeremiah (2:42), Hooray Henry, Mako.
Heat 3: Frisco Bay (2:42.2), Major Major, Clouding Over.
Heat 4: Seaclusion (2:40.5), Hawkeye Pierce, Louezyana.
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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.”
