Acupuncture has helped free up Man Of Action’s rear end and trainer Al Barnes says he’s a different horse this week.
A prick here and a prick there and Man Of Action is a happy horse at long last
By Barry Lichter • 28 April 2021
It’s been a long time since Al Barnes looked forward to taking Man Of Action to the races.
But tonight he’ll float the horse to Redcliffe with a completely different outlook - thanks to an acupuncture session that seems to have completely transformed the horse.
Barnes got into the sulky when he raced last week to see if he could discover why Man Of Action has been out of the money in his last 13 starts, a losing streak dating back to last November.
“He was throwing his legs really wide, kicking the wheels, and they were that wide he was nearly kicking other people’s wheels.
“And he stood in the tie-up stalls kicking all night, so I definitely think he’s been trying to send us a message.
“He’s 10 times better than he’s been showing,” said Barnes who has also seen the horse struggle to cope with the Queensland heat in recent months.
Enter former driver and trainer Jason Proctor, these days in demand for the excellent results trainers are getting from his acupuncture treatment.
Al Barnes … the horse has been trying to send us a message.“We found a few problems in his back end. He had a muscle tear in his lumbar and everything was really tight. Muscles need to be soft and supple so he was in a lot of discomfort.”
With blood flow to the area stimulated by Proctor’s needles, Man Of Action has been a different horse this week, says Barnes.
“He’s so much happier. Normally he’s a pest to jog, his tail swishes and he bucks and carries on, but this week he’s been jogging like a lamb.”
And instead of the grumpy animal who’d continually try to double barrel Barnes, or get angry with him if he even attempted to fix his rug strap, Man Of Action has been super chilled.
Barnes has also “gone hard” treating the horse’s ulcers.
“Ulcers were giving him grief, so I’ve changed his feed, given him more roughage during the day and some liquorice, which really helps them.”
Now that Man Of Action isn’t hurting, Barnes hopes we’ll start to see a different horse in the next few weeks.
“I’m not saying he’s perfect - he’ll be a lot better next week - but I’m really happy with him and looking forward to racing tonight.
“Last week he had a lot of problems and didn’t finish that far away (fourth) so this week, well on the way to healing, I’m hoping he can do better.
“It’s a very even field - a bit weaker than last week - and while he’s drawn badly, I’m happy with that. I can grab hold, go back to the running line and let him run on.
“I want to give him confidence that he’s not going to hurt.”
Man Of Action races at Redcliffe on Wednesday night at 8.47pm.
More news in Harness
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Ray: Preferential draw for top fillies makes it tough for everyone else in Golden Gait series
Patient owners hoping high-priced Colonel can salute at Cambridge on Thursday night
Friday’s Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup all about the standing start manners of Aussie raider
Our runners this week
Tuesday at Cambridge
Colonel Lincoln, Onyx Shard, Commander Lincoln, Debbie Lincoln, Kevin Kline, Lincoln La Moose, The Big Lebowski.
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 2: Commander Lincoln
5.51pm
“Back to Cambridge and the easier amateur ranks he can get some of it. He’s an honest little horse who pays his way.”
Race 4: Onyx Shard
6.49pm
“She’s a nice filly who is training really well and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her in the money in spite of the outside draw. She’d be one of the best in that field and is definitely an each-way chance.”
Race 6: Colonel Lincoln
7.39pm
“He hasn’t raced for nearly 21 months but his training has been good and he should go well first-up. He’s a beautiful, big horse who probably lacks a yard of speed to be a real super horse but he’s got everything else. I expect him to go well against this lot.”
Race 7: Lincoln La Moose
8.04pm
“He’s training well and has surprised us before, like when he won his first start at Cambridge like a monster after breaking on the first turn. It’s always the way when they win their first start - it makes things hard for them after that - but he’s travelling well now and is capable of being in it.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 4: Lincoln Lou
7.09pm
“He’ll be relying on a heap of good luck from the second row. His last run was a non-event. The poor little bugger couldn’t have done a better job of finding trouble. He’s trained on all right.”
Race 4: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.09pm
“He’s training really well and he showed last time what a big motor he had, losing all that ground early and still getting up to win. He’s not famous for his gate speed but as long as he gets away safely then Maurice can put him in the race at the right time. There are a lot of horses in there that aren’t that safe who could stand on their ear. Navigating through them is always a worry. He’ll need some luck but he could give them a fright.”
Race 6: Frisco Bay
8.05pm
“He obviously can’t beat Duchess Megxit or Jeremiah but if he gets a good trip he’s a chance of getting some money. Things didn’t suit him last time - being out three wide then going to the front. He’s so hot, he over-races. He goes best if he’s allowed to slop out and find the back of something, when he generally relaxes. Even if he got back a bit, that would be all right, so long as he gets sucked along.”
