Stand should be no problem for Riverman Sam: See how fast he stepped in his workout
By Barry Lichter • 22 June 2022
Punters might have a question mark beside Riverman Sam at Cambridge on Thursday night because he is having his first standing start - but not trainer Ray Green.
The way Riverman Sam began from behind the tapes at the Pukekohe workouts last Friday gave Green plenty of confidence that the horse will continue his excellent form in the seventh race.
“He stepped really well at the workouts last Friday when he qualified from a stand. He’s a nice, sensible horse and I can’t imagine him mucking it up.”
Drawn one, from where he begins on Thursday, Riverman Sam hit his hopples smartly to lead his 2500 metre heat and gamely hold off the smart up-and-comer Romeo Shard by half a head, closing in 57.6 and 26.9.
Riverman Sam takes on a higher graded field than he has beaten in his last two starts but Green believes he will be very competitive.
“H’s quite a nice pacer and being up against a few handy horses will give us a line on where he’s heading.”
Riverman Sam strides clear for Maurice McKendry at his last start at Alexandra Park. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.Why run 2700 metre races?
The 2700 metres of Thursday’s race doesn’t conern Green given the horse won at that trip at Cambridge two starts back, but that doesn’t mean he supports programming the longer trip.
“I don’t know why they insist on running 2700 races. I can’t see the sense in it. All it’s doing is making it harder for horses to back up and why would you do that with the small pool of horses we have in the north?”
Earlier in the night two-year-old Ideal Kingdom takes on the older horses in an average looking maiden field. And despite being drawn five in the second race, Green can see the little horse taking home some money.
“I think he’ll be very competitive. It’s a different ball game down there and our maiden feilds are much easier than the two-year-old races.”
Ideal Kingdom might have been beaten nearly 11 lengths when fifth at Auckland last week but the winner, impressive debutant Rocknroll Hammer, clocked a swift 1:56.4 mile rate for the 1700 metres in pipping the stable’s Colonel Lincoln and On Deadline.
“The first three home in that race are extremely nice colts - they look classic material - and the opposition looks very average in comparison on Thursday.
“He’s a nice little horse, no champion, but he’s very honest and tractable and should go well.”
Lincoln Farms’ third runner Major Grace leaves from a niggly gate six in the fourth race but Green says the drop in class could also see her in the money.
“You can’t fault what she’d done this time in. Her last three starts have been the best of her career.”
Major Grace has run on well in her last two starts, in particular, held up at crucial times, before finding the line well.
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Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 3: Lincoln Downs
6.22pm
“She got home really well on the second night at Manawatu and gets a good draw here. There’s not much exposed form in the race so it’s hard to know how she compares but she’ll win one.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 3: Debbie Lincoln
7.01pm
“I thought she went super again last week with no luck and we’ve got a decent draw for a change so you have to like her chances. She’s been getting in on the corners, so we’ve added a Murphy blind.”
Race 3: Tyson
7.01pm
“I was impressed by the way he hung on to Captain Sampson and Greased Lightnin last week. They’re strong sprinters and it was only a sprint up the straight. He’ll need things to go his way from six.”
Race 3: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.01pm
“It was his first run for a while last week and he probably needed another trial. But we thought we might as well race him to set him up for this week. The outside draw of eight doesn’t help.”
Race 9: Lincoln Lover
9.55pm
“He’s not as sharp as our other two but he’s a game little bugger. He’ll win races for sure.”
Race 9: Prince Lincoln
9.55pm
“I thought he went really well last week. He’d had only one trial and was a bit fresh so it was understandable that he got tired the last bit. That will tighten him up and I’m expecting him to race well. He’s trained on well since.”
Race 9: Johnny Lincoln
9.55pm
“Prince has the wood on Johnny but he’ll still go well. He found the line well last week. It was his first run for a while too, and his first as a gelding.”
