Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Eight-year-old Rupert Of Lincoln lacks gate speed, but he more than compensates for this deficiency with his toughness.
He worked hard when he was a first-up winner at $11.70 ten nights before he was a $43.40 outsider from the No. 2 barrier in the 2130m Sky Racing Watch Live Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Driven for the first time in a race by Emily Suvaljko, Rupert Of Lincoln settled down in seventh position while the polemarker and $2.05 favourite Flying Rumour was setting a moderate pace, with Solesseo Matuca ($6) in the breeze.
At the bell Rupert Of Lincoln was sixth in the one-out, two-back position before Flying Rumour sped over the third quarter of the final mile in 27.8sec.
Rupert Of Lincoln was sixth at the 300m when Suvaljko eased him three wide before he was switched four wide on the home turn. He then finished determinedly to take a narrow lead in the final 40m and won in a blanket finish which saw ten of the eleven runners finish with two lengths of each other.
Lamandier ($51) was eighth at the bell before finishing out very wide to be second, one metre behind the winner and a head in front of $15 chance Ima Five Star General.
Rupert Of Lincoln has been a handy performer for Merv Butterworth’s racing syndicate, having earned $166,146 from 17 wins and 24 placings from 77 starts. He won at two of his three New Zealand starts and was successful at ten of his 36 Victorian appearances before arriving in WA where his 38 starts have produced five wins and eleven placings.
He is by Lincoln Royal and is the second foal out of the Bettors Delight mare Crush, who had nine starts in New Zealand for one win in a $3000 event at Winton in May 2011.