Recco Lover challenges up the lane with Star Galleria, obscured beside him, and Jack’s Legend and On The Cards further out. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.
Recco a ripper and Ray’s hoping he keeps on improving
By Barry Lichter • 13 March 2019
Recco Lover ran the race of his life against the cup class pacers last week and trainer Ray Green is hoping he’ll continue to get even better.
Green felt a big dose of satisfaction watching Recco Lover nearly win the Group II City Of Auckland Free-for-all, challenging up the passing lane and looking for a few seconds like he’d run past Jack’s Legend, On The Cards and Star Galleria.
While he couldn’t quite get there, even ace driver Tony Herlihy thought he’d still run third, the photo finish camera giving a nose margin to weakening pacemaker Star Galleria.
“We know he’s competitive at that level now,’’ says Green of Recco Lover who was only a half head, three-quarters of a length and a nose from the winner.
“If he’d only run in the first half of the field I’d have been happy.’’
Recco Lover drops back in grade on Friday night to a rating 62 to 81 stand over 2700 metres and is sure to be well backed on the strength of his latest showing, even from a 20 metre handicap.
“Stands don’t seem to worry him,’’ says Green.
Two starts back Recco Lover was first away in a 2200 metre stand and trailed hot favourite Mach Shard all the way before claiming him by half a head up the lane.
He shares the back mark with Mach Shard and Check In on Friday, 10 metres ahead of stablemate Zealand Star, and Green is hoping he’ll get a decent trip and be in the money again.
“I’ve just kept him ticking over this week. He didn’t need to be drilled.’’
In his last standing start Zealand Star, on the outside of the track, comes down pacing but has lost too much ground in a sprint.Hopple shorteners for Star
Green will use hopple shorteners on Zealand Star in an attempt to help him get away from the standing start after he muffed it two starts back. But he’s not sure where the horse is at after a mystery run last week when he only battled into third.
Dropping back in grade to rating 55 to 75 company, Zealand Star was expected to be very hard to beat, even against the All Stars’ Kayla Marie and Bubbled Up.
And after he secured the one-one sit, driver Zachary Butcher was thinking he might win when he hooked him out in the run home.
“But he flattened out quickly and Zac said he didn’t show his usual zip.”
Suspecting the horse “might have some passengers on board” - viral bugs, like many in his stable - Green pulled a blood off the horse.
“But it came back good so I can’t explain it.
“I’d like to think on his previous form he’ll be a big show on Friday but it depends entirely on the start.’’
Two starts back, in his first stand for 12 months, he galloped soon after the tapes were released and lost crucial ground.
With Butcher committed to Mach Shard and his dad David to Check In, Green has engaged in-form driver Todd Mitchell for Zealand Star.
Maurice McKendry … drives Just Wing It.A new driver, Maurice McKendry, will also be in the cart of Just Wing It in the fourth race with Zachary Butcher behind leading hope Benson Boys.
Just Wing It and Butcher got their army of supporters home in a weak field at Cambridge last time, enjoying a one out one back cruise for the last lap, before scraping in by a neck over Ball Of Art.
But the horse won’t be at $1.40 this time and the ace draw might be his enemy not his friend.
“He’s a chance but I’m not sure if he’s got a lot of gate speed. He should end up one, two or three fence but it’s hard to predict these things.
“Hopefully he’ll be in the money again. He’ll win more races but he’s just a horse, there’ll be no Interdominion glory with him.’’
More news in Harness
Johnny Lincoln’s big ticker will stand to him in the States and Lover’s also sold to Aussie
No Jumals to beat this time at the Park so Ray’s looking for Lincoln Wave to roll in
Lincoln Linda best of the night at Cambridge - she has the engine to cross Soul Artist
Cheapie Johnny Lincoln a “proper” racehorse who can foot it with the Million bluebloods
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.”
