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.
More news in Harness
Prince Lincoln spearheads record-sized team for Lincoln Farms at Cambridge on Friday
Ray cautions punters with no lead this time for Jekyll and Hyde colt Prince Lincoln
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.”
