Watch Lincoln Raider stretch out on the big, roomy Trentham track

Up-and-comer Lincoln Raider gets plum billing of the Lincoln Farms’ platoon of five racing at Trentham on Saturday.

The O’Reilly four-year-old runs in the sixth race and from five at the gate has a lot more going for him than rival and stablemate Father Lenihan in 16.

Lincoln Raider served notice of a good season ahead when he resumed at Hastings two and a half weeks ago, rattling home late to finish only 1.3 lengths from winner Blondlign despite being crowded at the start then hampered 400 metres from home.

Given the bias towards leaders that day Lincoln Raider’s run was a pearler and trainer Lisa Latta is expecting even more fireworks stepping the horse up to 1400 metres on the big, roomy Trentham circuit.

“He’s a classy horse and Trentham will really suit him. He just wouldn’t like it if the track got wet.”

How Lincoln Raider looked at the ready to run sale.Lincoln Raider cost $160,000 at the 2015 ready to run sales but Latta says she and Lincoln Farms’ boss John Street actually liked the horse 10 months earlier when he was sold for $115,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s premier yearling sale.

“He had a couple of splints which put us off but when we went back to look at him at the ready to run we ended up buying him.

“He’s got a fair bit of ability.”

Lincoln Raider has a rich pedigree - he is out of the four-race winner Elusive Dreams, who is a half sister to Octopussy (6 wins), producer of Pussy Willow and Pussy O’Reilly. It is also the family of Valpolicella and Vavasour.

Latta believes Father Lenihan, who resumed with a bold fifth at Hawera, when well backed, would need the rain to come to threaten his stablemate.

Kamanda Lincoln … suited by Trentham and any rain. PHOTO: Race Images.Potential upsetter

Of the rest, Latta tips Kamanda Lincoln as a potential upsetter.

If his barrier 23 draw doesn’t put you off in the fifth race, so will his form line of 699. But Latta warns he’s going much better than it would seem.

“He hasn’t had a lot of luck in his last three runs and has been finishing on in all of them.

“The big track will suit and any rain would really help him.”

Last season’s premiership winner Sam Collett takes over the reins of the Savabeel five-year-old from Shaun McKay on Saturday.