Sir Tiger … talented, tractable and just needs some luck from the draw to be right in the hunt on Friday night.
Sir Tiger’s earned his stripes - he just needs his stablemate to play ball
By Barry Lichter • 3 April 2019
“It could be a good draw or it could be a bad draw.’’
Trainer Ray Green sums up Friday night’s two-year-old race at Auckland in a nutshell when he says leading Lincoln Farms’ hope Sir Tiger is at the mercy of what stablemate Hilary Barry does out of the gate.
With the filly drawn the pole and Sir Tiger right on her back, he could get the sweetest trip in the race if she can hold the lead.
But if she is crossed at the start - Bad To The Bone and Texas Tiger both prime candidates to do just that - “he could get the big shuffle’’ and become buried on the markers.
While Hilary Barry has left the gate quickly and led a few times in her workouts and trials, Green says she’s never drawn a marble which has allowed her racenight driver to see what she can do early.
“The others look pretty green and nothing has displayed huge gate speed at the workouts,’’ says Green. “So if she holds up Sir Tiger could get a really nice trip.’’
Trainer Ray Green with driver Andre Poutama, who pilots Sir Tiger on Friday night.Nobody could deny Sir Tiger a turn. During the Young Guns series the Sir Lincoln colt habitually drew badly, still performing bravely.
When stablemate Perfect Stride announced his presence with a brilliant debut win, Sir Tiger sat parked throughout and still ran second.
The only time he drew a marble he trailed stablemate Double Or Nothing throughout and sprinted through for second to crack youngster Line Up.
“He’s shown he’s not out of his depth when he’s in with the best ones and he’s more experienced than the others,’’ says Green.
“The poor horse has never had any luck and he’s never gone a bad race. He’s so lovely and tractable.’’
Friday’s opposition is easily the weakest Sir Tiger has faced, prompting Green to say he can feel justified in being very hopeful of getting a decent cheque.
Sir Tiger showed he had shrugged off his virus when winning a recent workout, then dashing home late for third behind Hilary Barry last Saturday in the hands of Friday night’s driver Andre Poutama.
Green does not believe Hilary Barry will be out of her depth against the boys on Friday night.
Her formline would read better had she not drawn badly in four of her five starts and been forced to try to run record times chasing the All Star’s freakish filly Sweet On Me.
Lincoln Farms’ No. 1 reinsman Zac Butcher is on Barry Purdon’s Bad To The Bone on Friday but after a recent placing at the workouts when driving Hilary Barry he mused that, while she lacked a yard of speed, he’d like to see her tried in front one night.
Junior driver Andrew Drake gets the reins again on Hilary Barry on Friday.
More news in Harness
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After 40 years in the sulky, Fergie’s just loving his renaissance in the lincoln green silks
Big-spending Mike Tanev snares The Rascal and he’s off to Canada next week
Dreams Of Eric goes from black and blue to blue and white, now for Harness 5000
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 4: Tyson
6.59pm
“He was tough again in winning last week. He’s trained on well, is in good shape, and should be right in it.”
Race 4: Sugar Ray Lincoln
6.59pm
“He’s finally getting his act together - he’s gone three good races in a row - and seemingly turned the corner. We’ve had a lot of (vet) work done on him, his feet in particular, and it’s paid off. There’s not much between him and Tyson.”
Race 5: Rivergirl Bella
7.23pm
“She’ll need everything to go her way from the draw. But she’s got a bit of speed. She’s getting there. She wasn’t very strong before and wasn’t tracking too well, but she’s driving right now.”
Race 5: Lincoln Linda
7.23pm
“She’s had a few issues, mostly mental ones, and is still a bit of a handful. It wasn’t very pretty last week but we’re slowly getting her under control. The outside draw might actually help her.”
Race 5: Angelic Copy
7.23pm
“She needs only a half decent trip to feature. She got held up a little bit in the straight at a crucial time last week and that was that.”
Race 6: Prince Lincoln
7.49pm
“He’s drawn the best of ours in three. He got cheated for a run last week. It’s hard to know where he’d have finished without that.”
Race 6: Lincoln Lover
7.49pm
“Ferg reckoned if he’d been able to hold up in the trail last week he would have won. He was very bullish about how he’d gone. The draw’s no help but he can do a bit of work. He’s an honest little guy who saves his best for when the money’s up on racenight.”
Race 6: Johnny Lincoln
7.49pm
“He got a bit keen last week but he should be a lot better this time. He’s still learning and he’s a slow learner. When he does things correctly he’s a pretty nice horse. Hopefully he can get a suck into it from the second row draw.”
