Classie Linc - win No 8 comes with some ‘extras’

By Rob Courtney

Well-known trainer Bruce Negus has given the recently activated Harness Racing New Zealand credit/bonus schemes a big tick.

Last Friday night in the hands of Sheree Tomlinson, Classie Linc capitailised on a nice trail and the Addington passing lane to decisively get home in the Woodlands Stud First Mares' Spring Sprint Mobile Pace over her four year old and older female rivals (up to rating R80) for the Let The Fun begin syndicate of which wife of the trainer, Colleen Negus, is a member.

In the process Classie Linc earned herself two credits/bonuses.

One was under the new HRNZ scheme labelled FMBCS – the Fillies/Mares Breeding Scheme. She earned a $1000 credit to be used by her owner once she heads to the breeding barn after her racing career is over.

This scheme is intended to encourage the retention of such mares domiciled and raced in NZ and Negus is already a fan.

“I can see her racing against her own sex a couple of times a month with these incentives on offer, so credit (no pun intended) to those who have come up with this concept.

“I had her mother Penscroft as well and she was probably my best broodmare and while she won only four races, she would have gone on to greater things but for her health issues. Now with these incentives in place, we are less likely to sell Classie Linc,” Negus reflected.

The latter’s race record now stands at eight wins from 45 starts with a further 13 placings and her trainer now believes she has only recently just worked out what it takes to be a racehorse and sees her as a potential Country Cups horse.

“She was quite erratic early on in her career but has done plenty of travelling and we have found she races best when asked to do very little in the early stages of her races,” Negus explained.

“The Classiebawn breed has always been a great staying breed and Penscroft (by In The Pocket) has added speed and Classie Linc has both in her weaponry” he added.

For the record, Classie Linc has placed in 1:54.1 and four of her immediate family have race timed in better than 1:54. The best of these is arguably Executive Dash who was credited with 1:50.9 time in Australia along with 39 wins.

The second scheme/bonus that fell the way of Classie Linc’s connections with this win was courtesy of the NZBBS or NZ Bred Bonus Scheme, a bonus of 10% of stakes money won by a horse sired by a NZ bred stallion who stood in either NZ or Australia (with a max of $10k per year), this money going to the breeder of the winning horse.

Classie Linc is by Sir Lincoln (or Lincoln Royale as he was known in Australia), a son of Mach 3 who raced from the Ray Green stable amassing $663k in stakes from 21 wins including an Auckland Cup and a 3yo Sires Stakes final.

Of his most recent progeny, Cranbourne was a smart horse here for Brent White and Bundoran (also from the Classiebawn family and bred by the late Mike Stratford) has done a good job in Australia winning 14 and $310K+

Mike Stratford had a strong connection with the equine family going all the way back to Classiebawn several generations ago and Mike’s human family have continued breeding from this line and at 21 Penscroft is in foal to Always B Miki and in 2022 had a colt half brother to Classie Linc by Downbytheseaside.