This is not a drill - Lincoln Farms’ trio well armed for opening Gun fight

Trainer Ray Green is realistic enough to say you can’t definitively predict which two-year-olds will stand up under fire in Friday night’s first Young Guns heat at Auckland but he does know his trio will be very competitive.

And from their barrier draws he can see Perfect Stride (one) and Double Or Nothing (four) playing a big part, with third runner Sir Tiger relying on luck from seven on the gate.

“I’m pretty confident our three will perform well - they’re well schooled and haven’t been knocked around.

“But we don’t know what those other horses have under the bonnet - their prime objective last week was to have a look round Alexandra Park.

“You have to remember we’re dealing with animals who have never been put in this situation in their lives. It’s not a drill anymore, it’s business time and now they’ll have to call on their mothers.’’

Green says he can see driver David Butcher pressing the go button on Double Or Nothing out of the gate - “if he goes back he’ll get nothing’’ - and judging by what the horse showed in last week’s trial on the course he should be able to make the lead.

Perfect Stride, outer, has more sheer speed than Double Or Nothing, says Zachary Butcher, who has driven them both.From the dispatch the early supremacy is sure to be with Perfect Stride who has shown high gate speed in his workouts and trials and lets loose from the pole.

And it’s logical that Zachary Butcher would then hand up to his stablemate, and take the trail, given his declared opinion that Perfect Stride has more raw speed than Double Or Nothing, whom he drove last week.

He would then be in a perfect position to slingshot Double Or Nothing up the lane.

“I know Zac is high on Perfect Stride, for good reason, and he could be right.’’

After Perfect Stride jogged into a close third behind Sir Tiger and Man Of Action in a trial at Alexandra Park on November 23, Butcher declared that the little brother to Chicago Bull could, in time, be one of the quickest horses he has driven. But of course Green says that perfect lead-trail scenario on Friday night depends on who might come calling during the running to put pressure on the leader.

“They could go anywhere between two minutes and 1:55.

“I haven’t screwed these ones down as much as some of our previous two-year-olds but I think they’re up to the best we’ve had.’’

Even Sir Tiger, from out wide, is capable of getting some of the money if driver Andre Poutama can steer an economical passage, says Green.

The horse had been a big improver in the last month.

Helping the Lincoln Farms’ cause is the fact last week’s trial winner Mach Da Vinci has drawn the inside of the second row and the All Stars’ rep Smooth Deal is stranded on the outside of the front line.

All Stars’ vice-like grip

Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen’s three-year-old trio Ultimate Sniper, Jesse Duke and Another Masterpiece look to have a vice like grip on the $50,000 Alabar Classic but Green is holding on to the hope that his pair can get some of the scraps from their good draws.

Lincoln Farms’ pair Trojan Banner (gate two) and Make Way (three) should be able to land good early possies but their chances rest on staying handy to the pace.

When Make Way ran last week, he raced three deep on the markers and, while he closed resolutely on winner Jesse Duke, zipping home in 54.4, he could get no closer than 2.5 lengths away.

Trojan Banner rears high on the home turn as David Butcher has to haul him off the rough pacing Will Take Charge.Trojan Banner was dead unlucky not to pay a dividend last Friday night, losing three lengths in a home turn check, but he will really need to step up in this stronger line-up.

From meeting rating 55 to 62 rivals, he bangs heads with several of the fastest three-year-olds in the country, Jesse Duke rated 85, Another Masterpiece 75 and unbeaten Sires’ Stakes Final winner Ultimate Sniper also 75.

“I don’t have any delusions about winning the race,’’ says Green. “But you only get one crack at these age group races. We’re up against it with Mark’s nice horses but the draws give us a bit of a chance of picking up more than the starting fees.’’

Zealand Sar big improver

Zealand Star, on the other hand, is a solid winning chance in the ninth race.

The southern five-year-old, sent north to Lincoln Farms by Melbourne owner Merv Butterworth, should have got a big slice of the cake when he had his first look at Alexandra Park last week.

But from the inside draw driver David Butcher found himself hemmed away four deep on the markers and still buried three deep on the turn.

Stuck behind the battling trailer Red Reactor, Zealand Star went to the line hard held in last place.

“I’d hate to have had 10 K on him,’’ says Green. “He certainly went to the line under a death grip.

“You don’t know what we could have done if he’d had clear air but hopefully from five on Friday night he’ll get his chance.

“He’s a bit better than I originally thought and he could do quite well up here.

“He’s a tidy horse and he seemed to handle the right-handed way round reasonably well. He looks a serious chance on Friday.’’

Just past the line and Zealand Star is last, still with nowhere to go.