Resilient Lincoln Farms’ three-year-olds Tyson and Kevin Kline doing breeder proud

Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green has never regretted the day he agreed to try out four horses for retiring Waikato breeder Pat Laboyrie.

When he sold his Lake Karapiro property and moved north, Laboyrie gifted Green 50% of Tyson and leased the rest to Lincoln Farms.

And last night, at Alexandra Park, Tyson notched his fourth win, while six-race winner Kevin Kline was best of the rest behind Arna Donnelly’s Thames Summer Cup trifecta Jolimont, Little Spike and The Surfer.

Green admits he took little notice at the time of Tyson’s breeding - “I never worry much about pedigrees. Good conformation is more important and he was a beautiful looking colt.”

But the Art Major gelding has wasted no time in living up to his breeding, his consistency all but bettering that of his dam Helena Jet.

Tyson and Kevin Kline hail from successful families of now retired breeder Pat Laboyrie.With a record of 13 wins from just 32 starts, Helena Jet was Laboyrie’s second best performer, running seconds to champion mare Adore Me in the 2014 Queen Of Hearts and Four-Year-Old Diamond.

Tyson has yet to show the class of Laboyrie’s all-time best, A G’s White Socks, who won 17 races, Group I races on both sides of the Tasman, and $732,000.

But Tyson’s never-say-die racing style has been on show just about every week for the last six months as he has racked up four wins, five seconds, four thirds and nine fifths.

Friday night’s performance was a perfect example of Tyson’s resilience as driver Maurice McKendry came out of his one-one trail 1200 metres from home to race parked outside the leader.

Not for Tyson a cushy sit, McKendry has learned he goes much better doing it tough.

And, in typical fashion, while seemingly under pressure turning for home, Tyson just kept giving, eventually overhauling leader Words to score by a neck, closing in 56.9 and 27.9.

The win boosted Tyson’s stakes tally to $59,460 and earned him a place in next week’s $35,000 Northern Metro Final.

Kevin Kline, who is now raced by Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street, and a host of their partners, is also from a successful Laboyrie family, his dam Matai Mies having earlier left eight-race winners Emily Blunt and Happy Place.

And the way the three-year-old continues to improve, it’s a safe bet that he will eventually better their tallies.

Despite sitting parked for the last lap in the Summer Cup, he held his place well in the run to the judge, finishing just 3.2 lengths behind Jolimont.

Green marvels at the constitution of the Always B Miki gelding as he’s been racing continuously for 12 months, Friday night’s start his 37th without a break.

“He’s racing the best up here now and he’s done it all on one preparation.”