Northern juveniles to debut under ‘ribbon of light’

Last week New Zealand harness racing fans were treated to the first juvenile race of the 2025 season with the Ross Houghton trained Showmethetanlines (Downbytheseaside) putting his hand up as the most forward of the Canterbury two-year-old’s with his triumph at Addington Raceway.

This Friday night at Alexandra Park, the North Island juveniles get their chance to strut their stuff with a small but select field of six two-year-old’s competing in the second race of the programme.

As one of the big investors of young stock in the New Zealand, it’s unsurprising to see Ray Green and Lincoln Farms heavily to the fore with five in the six horse field.

Green is quietly optimistic about his new wave of talent and has liked what he has seen from the group of mostly weanling and yearling sales graduates.

“All together we broke in about 18 and a few of them weren’t up to it at this stage but they will come through in time. I think they are a pretty good bunch this lot and a hell of a lot cheaper than what we paid for them in the past,” said Green.

“I think our owners have learnt to be a bit more disciplined and we are getting just as good results from being a bit more prudent than we have in the past,” he said.

You have to go all the way back to the 2021 National Yearling Sales to find Lincoln Farms Bloodstock inside the top ten of the ‘leading purchasers by aggregate’ list, with Green and John Street having taken a different approach to their spending. But as Green alludes too, it hasn’t had any impact on slowing the powerful operation down in terms of horsepower.

Going through Green’s quintet of juveniles in order of barrier draws see’s us start the discussion with Angelic Copy (Bettor’s Wish), a $7,500 weanling sales purchase out of the Macca Lode draft in 2023. She hails from the debut Southern Hemisphere crop of the Dan Patch 3 & 4YO Pacer of the Year.

The daughter of Bettor’s Wish was bought by Green’s wife, Debbie, who has a much publicised knack for procuring bargain buys at the sales who go on to far exceed their price tag.

Drawn the pole in her debut race assignment, Angelic Copy brings with her some tidy trial and workout form having finished second in each of her three public appearances at Franklin to date.

“She has been perfect. Perfect manners, everything has gone so well for her. She has always been good gaited and just a nice smart little filly.

“We actually tried to breed a mare to the sire ourselves but he was firing blanks at the time, so it didn’t eventuate. But he was a big factor in buying her. Most of the horses we buy, we buy on type, and she also checked the boxes there,” he said.

Prince Lincoln (Always B Miki) is a well related colt being the 7th foal out of the good producing mare, Cullens Princess (Mach Three), a half-sister to New Zealand Cup winner, Thefixer, and Ladyship Stakes winner, The Honey Queen (Rock N Roll Heaven). The granddam, Tosti Girl (Christian Cullen) wasn’t half bad either as the winner of the Great Northern and NSW Oaks.

Green knows a wee bit about the family with Lincoln Farms shelling out for the colts half brother at the 2022 Yearling Sales, Lincoln La Moose, for $95,000. Prince Lincoln was offered by Alabar at the 2023 Weanling Sale at Karaka but failed to reach his $20,000 reserve.

He is drawn handy enough in barrier three for his race night debut and has a couple of seconds to his name in his only public appearances to date.

“He was a bit of a lazy bugger. He was a bit slower coming to it then the others but he has come along good these last couple of months. He is probably a little but behind those two fillies.

“The older half-brother can get a little hot,  but this guy just does what he has too, which is a good fault to have. He is a good looking horse and a nice pacer,” said Green.

Lincoln Lover (Bettor’s Delight) was the most expensive buy of the Lincoln Farms quartet to have been purchased at the sales. The $75,000 yearling is out of Cest Cest Lamore, an unraced Live Or Die half sister to the champion race filly and producer, Copper Beach.

He is the 5th foal from his dam and is a full brother to Serg Blanco, the winner of $219,000 and 13 races, with a G2 and two G3 placings among his 17 seconds and thirds.

“He has come along good, he is an unassuming little guy and a typical Bettor’s Delight. You don’t really know what you’ve got until you push the button. But he has done everything right so far,” he said.

Rivergirl Bella (Lazarus) is the sole horse in the field chasing 100% of the Entain bonus being bred and owned by Phil Cook under his Philadelphia Racing Ltd banner. She is out of the G1 winning mare Ideal Alice, the winner of over $400,000 and 20 races across New Zealand and Australia.

“Always had a lot of speed and was always slick going. She is a little bit hot, and even though she won her trial pretty easily, she might just struggle round the corners for a start or two before the penny drops fully. If she does things correctly, she will be right in the fray.

“It’s one of Phil Cook’s pride and joys the dam and he is keen to see her go and she should give him a bit of excitement,” said Green.

It’s a great sign for her burgeoning sire to see a daughter of Lazarus at the first North Island juvenile race of the season after the dual hemisphere sire went all of 2024 without having a 2YO crop to rely upon.

This season is a different story with 57 two-year-olds on the books and Rivergirl Bella has put her hand up as one of the most forward of the Northern bunch to date. She brings winning workout and trial form to her raceday debut having won her qualifying trial by three and three-quarter lengths a little over a week ago where she accounted for a couple of her race day rivals.

RIVERGIRL BELLA TRIAL REPLAY

Lincoln Linda (Bettor’s Delight) is drawn the worst of Green’s quintet and is another of his three fillies to debut Friday night.

The $25,000 yearling sales purchase out of the Woodlands Stud draft is from the family of Under Cover Lover and another Green has some familiarity with having trained the dams full brother (My) Chachingchaching for seven New Zealand wins and over $100,000 in stakes prior to being sold across the ditch.

She is yet to taste defeat in three public appearances to date and was impressive winning her qualifying trial a fortnight ago.

“She goes good, a big wild thing to start off with but she does go well. She is a strong filly.

“I think the fillies are a lot more forward than the other two so I am expecting them to feature, and would be leaning towards ‘Linda’ and the Bettor’s Wish filly if I had to label a couple of them,” he said.

While Green holds the majority of the cards in the 2YO feature, they will be joined by the well related Stonewall first starter in Allamericanplayer, a Bettor’s Delight half brother to their G1 winning mare, Allamericanlover.

The $155,000 yearling sales purchase has been coming along quietly at the trials but has the breeding on his side as well as the team around him to see him finishing strongly in his race debut.

For complete Alexandra Park fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink