It's not often a trainer can get a tad annoyed when his horse goes too fast, but that's how Franklin trainer Ray Green felt about Linc's Tiger's easy win at in a five-horse trial at Pukekohe on Tuesday.
The promising 2-year-old son of Sir Lincoln bolted in by five-and-a-half lengths, pacing the 2050m mobile (left handed) in 2:34.7.
That was a whopping 7.5 seconds under the qualifying time. The brown colt's winning mile rate was 2:01.4 and he came home in 57.7 and 28.4.
"We have always been pleased with the way he's been developing. He's just a little fella but to be fair Nate (Delany) had him going a lot faster than what we wanted this early in his prep. The driver got a little bit carried away, but that’s to be expected, he’s young and only had a couple of race-day drives.
"That was just the second time the colt has been off the property. We still have to get a bit of work into him before he is ready for race-night. We like him a lot but you have to remember it's all very well winning a qualifier because it's a different story come race-night," Green said.
He said Linc's Tiger would have another trial this weekend and then perhaps he would line up in a 2-year-old race at Alexandra Park late this month or next month.
Linc's Tiger is the only foal out of the unraced Real Desire mare, Tigerzureal, who qualified 2.9 seconds under the qualifying time at Alexandra Park in June 2011
Tigerzureal was the 10th of 12 foals left by the 15-win ($491,957) Butler B G mare, Tigerish.
That multiple Group One-winning mare was a better than average 2-year-old herself, winning five out of eight races and placing in the other three.
Linc’s Tiger was bred by Lindsay and Pam Turner of Top Notch Lodge in Pukekohe. Lincoln Farms paid $50,000 for the brown colt at last year’s Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at Karaka.
“He’s a very speedy little fella. He pulled up well and has come through the race without a problem. He did it all quite comfortably, which is promising,” Green said.
The only other qualifier yesterday was the James Stormont trained and driven That Girl Of Mine, who beat the qualifying mark by 0.7 of a second in her two-horse 1609m mobile trot.
The 2-year-old Great Success bay filly trotted the mile in 2:10.4 and came her last 800m and 400m in 62.9 and 32.1. She won by 17-and-a-half lengths.
She is owned by B L Hill, Mrs M Hill, C G Walker, and Mrs N M Walker; and was bred by Frank Weaver at Takanini. She did not go through the Yearling Sales.
That Girl Of Mine is the second of four foals out of the un-raced Sundon - Pride Of Petite mare, - Petite Sunshine.
That mare did however qualify 0.3 seconds under time at the Auckland Trotting Club's Trials on October 13, 2009.
That Girl Of Mine's grand-dam - Pride Of Petite, was also a multiple Group One winning mare, who raced 142 times and won on 35 occasions, placed 40 times and netted $811,816.
She raced between March 1991 and March 1999.
Duane Ranger
