Sugar Ray Lincoln stomps home down the outside, with Tyson and Leo Lincoln inside him.
Sugar Ray Lincoln’s breath-taking recovery undoubted highlight of Lincoln Farms trifecta
By Barry Lichter • 7 December 2024
“He’s just like his brother, he does everything wrong.”
That was trainer Ray Green’s immediate reaction to Sugar Ray Lincoln’s off-the-canvas win at Auckland on Friday night, which had all the hallmarks of his older brother Copy That.
In a recovery which had commentator Aaron White in raptures, Sugar Ray Lincoln overcame a gallop 1450 metres from home which saw him go back to second last a round from home but somehow effortlessly score, going away, in a sizzling 2:40.9 for the 2200 metres.
Starting his run four wide and being forced five wide round the home turn, the colt powered up to reel in stablemates Tyson and Leo Lincoln, breaking the clock with his sectionals.
“He showed tonight what he’s always been capable of,” Green said.
“He’s always shown us he’s something special but he hasn’t made it easy for us. Copy That is a hard act to follow, and I don’t think he’s one of them, but he’s on a similar path.”
Part-owner Debbie Green with Sugar Ray Lincoln after his breath-taking win.Like Copy That, recently retired the winner of $2 million and two New Zealand Trotting Cups, Sugar Ray took six starts to win a race, his misbehaviour costing him a number of times.
Friday night’s win was his third from 15 starts for owners Debbie Green, John and Lynne Street, Ian Middleton and Phil Cook, after a fruitless southern campaign blighted by a virus.
“He’s got a lot of potential and hopefully he can go on with it now,” Green said.
The race was a messy watch for Green, who lined up five runners, four of whom who looked out of it halfway through the race.
When Sugar Ray galloped outside the leader, a chain reaction through the field saw Lincoln Lou run into the back of Leo Lincoln and gallop, hampering both Tyson who had to take evasive action and Kevin Kline who galloped.
Only Leo Lincoln and Peter Ferguson were unaffected and turning for home, when he eased out of the one-one, Ferguson thought for a fleeting second that “he was going to blow them away.”
“I thought, you beauty, but he took two strides then got rocky in his pacing action and lost his confidence.”
Meanwhile, Nathan Delany and Tyson were sweeping into the action.
“I could hear Sugar Ray on my back and thought I’d better get going,” Delany said. “But it didn’t help when he started dropping his head on the final bend. He might need an overcheck.”
Tyson comfortably held second, three lengths in front of Leo Lincoln, with another three lengths to Kevin Kline (fifth).
“Tony (Herlihy) was happy with the way he finished,” Green said.
Andre Poutama rued the terrible run Lincoln Lou endured from his wide draw.
“Everywhere he went, something broke in front of him.”
Checked again in the run home when taking evasive action at the 100, Lincoln Lou ran ninth, a total forgive run.
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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.”
