Shit happens … but you don’t expect this during a race!
By Barry Lichter • 15 December 2018
Perfect Stride found a novel way to be beaten on debut when he jumped a pile of poo at Alexandra Park last night.
Lincoln Farms’ Young Guns favourite was just moving up to attack the leader and subsequent winner Smooth Deal 400 metres from home when he spotted something on the track in front of him, put in a big leap and galloped.
Driver Zachary Butcher did well to get the two-year-old back down and pacing quickly and, despite losing two to three lengths, he recovered well to run third, three-quarters of a length behind stablemate Double Or Nothing.
Butcher confirmed his horse jumped poo on the track.
“The way Smooth Deal went I don’t think we’d have beaten him but he would have run second.
“He didn’t help himself either by pulling very hard in the running.’’
The race pretty much went to script early with Perfect Stride, a little brother to Chicago Bull, securing the trail behind Double Or Nothing.
Double Or Nothing … green but good.But David Butcher, behind Double Or Nothing, could see his lead was under threat when Mark Purdon gunned Smooth Deal out from the outside of the gate.
“Mark just waited until we straightened and then he came. I ran him a little but he was serious and it’s a long season so I handed up.’’
That meant son Zachary was virtually forced to pop off the pegs at the 900 with Perfect Stride to avoid being pocketed three deep.
Both his effort and that of Double Or Nothing, on a 56.5 half and 27.7 quarter, augured well for the second Young Guns race on New Year’s Eve.
“My bloke was a little green,’’ said David Butcher of Double Or Nothing who, after some sterling workouts, was surprisingly only the sixth favourite. “He ran round a bit, but it was a good run.’’
Lincoln Farms’ third runner Sir Tiger ran seventh, not helped by a wide draw and the fact he became stirred up before the gate left, tangling with the mobile arm.
Smooth Deal, who romped in by three and three-quarter lengths, was credited with a slick mile rate of 1:56.3, helped round the bends by the addition of a rein burr.
He was the one that got away from Lincoln Farms’ owner John Street who was underbidder on the $230,000 yearling sales topper.
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Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.40pm
“She’s going as good as she can. She’s got a bit of speed but isn’t that strong. But she should get a nice trip here and be right in the frame. She’ll win one soon.”
Race 1: Jessie Lincoln
5.40pm
“She’s a big filly who has taken time to mature but she has plenty of ability. She’s a good pacer and I expect her to improve on her resuming run and go well.”
Race 1: Lincoln Dealer
5.40pm
“He’s a bit of a handful, too keen for his own good sometimes, so I’ll be happy to see him just get round and do most things right. He’s no superstar but he’s coming to it slowly but surely. We’re throwing him in the deep end here and he has a terrible draw but we have to start somewhere.”
Race 4: Lincoln Maree
7.04pm
“She’s as tough as old boots and tries like hell and you can’t ask for much more than that. She just lacks a bit of speed but has a good attitude. She usually finds one or two better than her but will make them work for it anyway.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Prince Lincoln
4.56pm
“He’ll be improved for the last run, has trialled and is working well, and has a better draw (the ace) this time. You just have to be a bit wary because he’s let us down a couple of times.”
Race 3: Angelic Copy
5.56pm
“She had a tie-up issue but seems much better now. It’s her first run for a while so she’ll definitely need the run. I’m just hoping she gets around all right and pulls up OK.”
Race 3: Colonel Lincoln
5.56pm
“He’s a very capable horse, if injury prone, and he’s been back in work for three or four months. You never say never but, realistically, he’s just starting off so you can’t expect him to be at his peak.”
Race 5: Sammy Lincoln
6.55pm
“I know I said it two starts back but if there’s such a thing as a certainty, he’s it. Even from seven on the gate, everything says he’s the one to beat. If he hadn’t gone a bit goofy up the home straight last time in the Sires’ Stakes Semi at Cambridge, he’d have easily run third. This is a huge drop in class.”
Race 7: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.58pm
“I expect he’ll be a bit sharper this time. He’s looking well and feeling good but I still think another run under his belt will be beneficial for him. He’s not one to leap out of the ground but he is capable of taking the race.”
