By Michael Guerin
Ray Green has broken his Australian major race drought with the most unlikely of horses.
The South Auckland trainer claimed the richest win of his career when King Of Swing led throughout in the hands of David Butcher in the A$285,000 Breeders Crown two-year-old pacing final.
The rangy pacer capped a remarkable rise from obscurity, winning his group one just three months after he debuted and without having contested any of the feature juvenile races at home.
That didn’t deter Green, the trainer for Lincoln Farms, from giving him his shot at Australia’s best and his improvement curve has peaked at the right time, with Butcher’s perfect drive a massive help.
Green is no stranger to campaigning horses in Australia, having won decent races with Badlands Bute and training Sir Lincoln to a luckless second in the Victoria Derby.
“But on the whole we haven’t had a lot of luck over here so to finally get a really big one is very satisfying,” said the jovial 71-year-old.
“He has always looked a good horse but we waited until he told us he was good enough to bring over here.”
The win eclipses the Auckland Cup that Sir Lincoln won as the richest race taken out by a Lincoln Farms pacer and King Of Swing has Derby horses written all over him.
His win was the highlight of a mixed day for the Kiwi challengers, with Canterbury filly Renezmae the other to taste group one glory.
Punters who backed the All Stars three runners had no such joy as they had a rare off day.
While Partyon was a brave third in her final, More The Better and Sicario both finished unplaced.
More The Better was the shock of the day, galloping when in front after 600m as a red hot favourite.
And the Kiwi juvenile pacing fillies were a mixed bag, with Bettor Joy below her best when unplaced after leading, leaving fellow Canterbury filly Angel Of Harlem to chase home stunning winner Nostra Villa.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
