Sugar Ray Lincoln heads charge of the Green brigade at Auckland on Friday night

The saying that there’s strength in numbers will be put to the test when Lincoln Farms lines up five runners in one race at Auckland on Friday night.

Trainer Ray Green will be reaching into the cupboard for five sets of his Lincoln green silks and borrowing a few race carts before the fifth race for Sugar Ray Lincoln, Lincoln Lou, Kevin Kline, Tyson and Leo Lincoln.

And along with stable drivers Andre Poutama and Nathan Delany, he’ll be talking tactics with two of the country’s three winningest drivers in Tony Herlihy and Maurice McKendry as well as 2000-win club member Peter Ferguson.

It’s nearly five years since Green fielded so many runners in one race - his record of six set at Auckland on January 18, 2019, a night he especially remembers because it marked the debut of his now retired champion pacer Copy That.

Perfect Stride led home the charge that night with the Lincoln Farms’ team recording first, second, third, fifth, sixth and eighth in the nine-horse field.

With five of the eight runners on the front line and half of the 10-horse field on Friday night, Green has every reason to be confident of a similarly successful result.

And, courtesy of his pole position, Green is looking to Sugar Ray Lincoln to fill the top slot.

“He’s the best performed of them all and will get a good trip so that means he’s the best of our bunch,” Green said.

Sugar Ray Lincoln has not trialled since returning from Christchurch where he raced below par, running sixth in Marketplace’s Harness Million and seventh of eight in a Sires’ Stakes heat at Ashburton.

“He raced well below his best and we think he might have had a bit of a virus - there was a lot of it down there.

“He had the best part of a week off after getting back from Christchurch and, while he hasn’t trialled, he hasn’t missed any work.

“They canned one trial he could have gone in but it costs money to line up at trials and they pay you to go to the races.”

Lincoln Lou (Andre Poutama) scores at Alexandra Park in March. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.Easy workout win

One who has trialled since his aborted Canterbury campaign is the talented Sweet Lou colt Lincoln Lou, who will be handled by Poutama.

Lincoln Lou was untroubled to lead all the way in a 2050 metre workout at Pukekohe last Thursday, beating Matai Phil and Friday’s race rivals Tugawar and Nelson’s Boy, sprinting home in 57.8 and 27.5.

Green pulled the plug on Lincoln Lou’s southern trip when he finished 25 lengths last in the Harness Million.

“He was hitting his knees in that race - he’d never done that before in his life - maybe it was because we’d pulled up his hopples after he broke leading up to that.

“It’s a shame he’s drawn the outside on Friday because he’s training well and trialled well, but he should still go a good race. He always goes well if there’s nothing wrong.”

Green is expecting another good run from last week’s impressive maiden winner Kevin Kline who gets Herlihy this time, with McKendry sticking to Sugar Ray Lincoln.

“He’s doing nothing wrong and hopefully he’ll keep going well. The step-up in opposition shouldn’t be too much of a worry for him.”

While clocking a fairly sedate 2:44.8 for the mobile 2200 metres last week, Kevin Kline “jogged it” according to McKendry, untested in his two and a quarter length win.

He gets a draw downgrade on Friday, moving out from two to six.

Green says there are question marks over his remaining pair, Leo Lincoln and Tyson, who were both down the track when resuming last week.

“Leo wasn’t getting the corners 100% last week. We’ve changed the bit to see if he steers better. He’d be very dangerous if he did but he could be better left-handed.”

Green says the same could be said of Tyson, who will be Delany’s charge.

“He’s a strange little horse. You never know what to expect. Some days he’s brilliant, others he’s hopeless. We’ll see how he gets around this time.”

The Big Lebowski showed he had come back well with this dominant win in the Junior Free-for-all at Addington on cup day. PHOTO: Ajay Berry/Race Images.Only six rivals

The Big Lebowski has only six rivals in the $40,000 Thames Summer Cup, with the early scratching of Boudica, and Green says he has no concerns over it being a 2200 metre stand.

The seven-year-old has improved in each of three standing starts in the north and cleared the tapes quickly in Merlin’s Holmes DG back in October.

“I think there’s every chance he’ll step all right unless we get one of those stupid starts where they hold up and wait for one who’s not behaving. If they walk up and go, no problem.”

Green says he can shed no light on why The Big Lebowski broke on the first bend in the $200,000 New Zealand Free-for-all at Addington last time.

“But he’s in with the bear cats now and still basically learning. If Sooner The Bettor gets to the front obviously he’ll be hard to run down but he’s no Merlin and I think we’re a big chance if he does everything right. He’s not out of it from 20 metres.”

Green said, however, that Friday’s race was more like a glorified trial with The Big Lebowski being aimed at the $60,000 Franklin Cup (2700m) on December 13 and $250,000 Auckland Cup (3200m) on December 31.

Frisco Bay faces a strong line-up resuming in the 10th race and Green says the race will do him good after a short break.

Green believes you can put a line through Frisco Bay’s last placing in the Sires’ Stakes Sophomore Classic at Ashburton on October 28.

“I think he was one who had a few passengers on board (a virus) because he wasn’t anywhere near as good as he had been.

“He went big at Addington in his previous start and was unlucky. If he’d been one slot closer he would have won easily.”

Green doesn’t know what to expect from Debbie Lincoln in the second race, restricted to two-year-old fillies.

“She was good fresh-up but a bit disappointing last week. She’s still very green and I’m not sure what to think about her yet.”

Onyx Shard, on the other hand, is one Green is looking forward to seeing resume in the 11th race.

“She’s a beautiful filly but it’s her first run for seven months so I’m not expecting anything too flash.

“She’s training really well, and driving beautifully, but she might need a race or two before we see the best of her. If she gets home well this week, I’ll be happy.”

Stablemate Commander Lincoln, drawn outside Onyx Shard in four, will need a lot of luck.

“He’s an honest little horse who’s always thereabouts without being dangerous. Fergie might wake him up a bit.”