Lincoln Farms’ owner John Street presents the spoils of one of Simply Sam’s wins to Robert Best, one of many in the partnership.
Sam joins the overseas drain - the maths were simple, racing him here no longer added up
By Barry Lichter • 8 March 2024
Simply Sam is the latest pacer sold to Australia because the dwindling population of horses in the north now sees him forced to race against the best in the country.
The five-year-old joins the recently exported Frankie Major and Lincoln River as Lincoln Farms makes the tough decisions on what is best for its own operation and its racing partners.
“He’s in a grade now where he has to run against the big guns,” says business manager Ian Middleton.
“He’s a little boy running against $1 million earners and, while he’s shown he’s capable of running placings, he can’t beat them.”
Middleton says it’s a sad state of affairs when no suitable races can be found here for a rating 63 horse.
In Sydney, however, where he will join the stable of Robbie Morris, there will be ample opportunities for him to earn good prizemoney for his new owners.
Middleton says the enjoyment from racing the horse here has dwindled for Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street and their partners Kim Miller, Robert and Donna Best, Priscilla Edmunds, the Red and Blue Syndicate and the Green Machine Racing Syndicate.
Maurice McKendry drove Simply Sam in four of his seven wins.It’s been 16 starts and more than six months since the horse won and in recent weeks it’s become apparent things are only getting worse.
In his last start at Auckland, Simply Sam raced bravely for third but was never going to be competitive with Mach Shard (R100, $644,078) or Self Assured (R120, $2,301,394). And three starts back he did well to chase home top four-year-olds Merlin (R101, $584,764) and Sooner The Bettor.
When the horse ran fifth in the Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup on New Years Eve, he was up against topliners Don’t Stop Dreaming, Old Town Road, Akuta and Bach.
“We’re doing what’s financially best for our owners,” says Middleton.
“And it’s an ideal time for us to sell. We have lots of young horses coming through the system.”
Simply Sam (American Ideal - Simply Stunning) raced 44 times, his consistency evident with seven wins, six seconds, 10 thirds and six fourths for $111,939 in stakes.
His best season came as a three-year-old, when he won six races, including a hat-trick at Auckland, and a win at Shepparton when on a Victoria Derby campaign.
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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.”
