Green and Delaney team out in force at Alexandra Park
Michael Guerin • July 11th, 2025 12:23 PM • 4 min read
Ray Green may be way past a normal retirement age but he is still looking for his next good horse.
“That doesn’t stop,” says Green, who just three seasons ago completed a New Zealand Cup double with Copy That.
The 79-year-old still trains at Pukekohe, these days with Nathan Delany, and while they may not have a pin-up horse the stable is still a regular Friday night force.
Their 23 training wins for the season, which in harness racing runs the calendar year, puts them second behind Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett (36 wins) among trainers who operate solely from a northern base.
“We still have 35 horses in work and plenty of nice horses but we are looking for that next really good one like all trainers,” says Green.
“It is hard here [Pukekohe] at the moment as nobody knows the timeline for when the training track here will be sold and what will happen next. But by the time all that goes through maybe I will be winding things down.”
Green and Delany take eight horses to Alexandra Park tonight but leave what could have been their best chance at home.
“We thought Sammy Lincoln could have won the juvenile race but we are going to scratch him because we was just a bit sore during the week,” says Green.
“He will keep though and we have a couple of nice fillies still in that race with Lincoln’s Spice [R3, No 3] our better hope,” says Green.
The stable starts the night in a race they probably can’t win as Leo Lincoln and Kevin Kline take on hot favourite Mantra Blue in the opener.
“I am not sure we can beat her but both of ours are nice horses and Kevin is really maturing into a lovely horse,” explains Green.
“He looks a bit life a giraffe but he is getting stronger all the time and doing a great job when you consider he is still only three.”
Another stable rep taking on older horses is juvenile Johnny Lincoln, one of three Green and Delany have in a deepish Race 5.
“He is probably going to end up the best of our three in this race.
“He had a hoof issue which we cut out and he needed a long break to let that grow back and I think he has needed the racing.
“So Tyson should go better this week but I am losing patience with Sugar Ray Lincoln, he has been disappointing me lately.”
The stable has The Rascal in the last race and after two luckless placings lately he should win a race soon, although Tytate may have the wood on him tonight.
The best race tonight should be the $34,000 Silk Road Final for the fillies and mares in which last Friday’s heat winner Seaclusion has the widest draw and whether she can still cross to the lead easily could determine not only her chances but the shape of the race.
High Energy (Race 7) is racing so well she deserves to be favourite for the main trot for junior driver Harrison Orange, who last week became the fastest ever New Zealand driver to 50 career wins.
