Street’s favourite little fighter Lincoln River keeps the champagne corks popping

A bout of bronchitis couldn’t keep Lincoln Farms’ owner John Street away from the trots on Friday night when one of his favourite horses Lincoln River helped celebrate his 1000-win milestone for a second time.

Just a couple of weeks ago the showy little black brought up John and Lynne Street’s 1000th win in the harness and gallops codes and on Friday night he won the race named in honour of that unprecedented feat.

“I was coughing and shouldn’t really have gone to the races last night but I love the horse,” Street said. “He’s not very big but he’s a very well proportioned little fella and he has a good heart.”

Street has another reason for loving the well bred horse whom he generously put up for auction last August to raise money for charity.

When he saw the auction for the Foodstuffs Foundation was stuttering he quickly jumped up on stage and offered 50% of Lincoln River who was one of the best bred pacers in his stable, being by the champion sire Bettor’s Delight out of a New Zealand Oaks winner in Ideal Belle.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision,” Street said. “But there were a lof of wealthy people in the room and it was a sensational result geting $100,000 out of them.”

The winning bid was made by a team of PAK’nSAVE owner-operators, including Glenn “Grocer” Cotterill, who bought the Lincoln Rd branch in Henderson from Street in 2013.

Lincoln River is too tough for 10-win pacer Brookies Jaffa and Louezyana. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.Cotterill, who already races horses in special partnerships with Lincoln Farms, took a 25% share for $50,000 with the other 25% spread between 10 others.

Street warned the bidders at the time that Lincoln River was still six months away from maturing but in 20 starts since the auction, he has racked up four wins, five seconds and four thirds, earning $46,645 in stakes.

“For many of them it’s their first horse and they’re getting a lot of thrills out of it. He was well backed last night, and I suspect most of it was their money as they’re pretty well off.

“I wouldn’t mind getting them into some more horses.”

The Streets and the Yellow Barn Syndicate, who now race Lincoln River with David Turner, Phil Kelly, David Hooker, Barbara O’Mara, Dave Jones and Lin and Tina Guo can look forward to a bright future with the horse who was well driven on Friday night by Andre Poutama to beat 10-win pacer Brookies Jaffa.

“He’s only going to get better and stronger,” Street said. “He’s not fully matured yet but I just worry what will happen when he wins another race. He’ll be like Simply Sam. We couldn’t get a race for him on Friday night and he’s only a rating 64.

“We won’t sell him but we might have to send him to Australia which is where Simply Sam might have to go.”

Street said he had real fears for the future of harness racing in Auckland, the paucity of horses remaining helped only through the huge investment in recent years by Stonewall Stud’s Steve Stockman.