Al’s bullish $4 tip very nearly comes unstuck as Larry resents being chased
By Barry Lichter • 23 October 2020
Trainer Al Barnes’ confident tip that Larry Lincoln was all over a winner at Albion Park tonight proved spot on - but not before the horse gave driver Hayden Barnes quite a fright.
To Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street, watching from Auckland, it all seemed to go perfectly to plan. The horse was able to secure the trail without using any petrol and he sprinted too fast for his rivals up the home straight.
But little did they know that for one horrible moment Larry’s driver felt the horse go from “bolting to nothing.”
“The horse was travelling great when Hayden angled to the inside but when he pulled the hood and slapped him on the bum, he didn’t want to go,” said Al Barnes.
“When Hayden chased him he resented it and jammed his tail. He just didn’t sprint like we know he can. He dogged it a little.”
Larry Lincoln scoots up the inside to nail Its Super Easy.Luckily the horse Larry Lincoln was chasing was former Lincoln Farms giant Its Super Easy, who obviously couldn’t find the queue when speed was being handed out.
“Its Super Easy doesn’t have speed but he may have more heart than us - he’s tough and just keeps plugging. Who knows, if it had been further than a mile he might have beaten us.”
Barnes says he keeps learning little things about Larry Lincoln, who joined his stable only in September.
“Next time we’ll sit quiet on him. We won’t hit him on the bum and we won’t pull the plugs.
“His heart rate was still high tonight at 100, but it was better than the previous week so he’s improving. We’ll see how he pulls up next week.”
Barnes, who declared the horse a winner after super trackwork during the week, and was surprised by his $4 dividend, says he was convinced Larry was a class better than his rivals tonight.
And while the margin was only a head in the end, because of the home straight hiccup, he believes there’s more in store for the horse.
The plan not to gas Larry out of the gate or drive him too aggressively seemed to have worked, Barnes said.
Larry clocked 2:01.2 for the 1660 metres, a mile rate of 1:57.5, with the closing sectionals in 56.8 and 28.1.
More news in Harness
Johnny Lincoln’s big ticker will stand to him in the States and Lover’s also sold to Aussie
No Jumals to beat this time at the Park so Ray’s looking for Lincoln Wave to roll in
Lincoln Linda best of the night at Cambridge - she has the engine to cross Soul Artist
Cheapie Johnny Lincoln a “proper” racehorse who can foot it with the Million bluebloods
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.44pm
“She did well here last time as she had to do a bit to get to the lead and she dug in and fought on. She’s certainly a chance if she repeats that effort.”
Race 4: Lincoln Linda
7.09pm
“I thought she went super last time after doing a lot of work. She can do that because she has an engine and is tough. She’s a bit one-dimensional - you have to turn her loose early - but from the two draw she should be able to lead and that’s where she does her best work.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.34pm
“I think he’s a bit stronger after his spell. It’s not a great field - most will die on that mark - and I don’t see a problem with the standing start as he’s nicely gaited. He could be marginally unfit after three months out but he’s done quite a bit of work and I can see him going a half-decent race.”
Race 6: Lincoln Maree
7.59pm
“She had every chance last time but I can’t see why she won’t go well again. She’s as honest as they come and tries like hell.”
Race 7: The Night Fox
8.29pm
“You’d think he’d lead easily from the inside. He’s had bad draws and still got the money, so I’m sure he’ll go another good race. I’m surprised they sold him so cheaply. He’s better than people think.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Lincoln Wave
5.09pm
“With the trip he got in the Harness Million I thought he’d have run on a lot better. But he was still a bit short on fitness and sometimes we can expect too much of these horses, he was racing the best, after all. It’s a big drop in grade here and he’s a pretty fair horse.”
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.09pm
“He’s an honest sort who’s in a good space but he won’t get a wonderful trip from the outside of the gate this time so I’m not holding my breath.”
Race 3: Sammy Lincoln
6.04pm
“He’s training down well but you never know what he’s going to do. You think you’ve got him sorted and he does something silly. But we know if the real Sammy turned up, he’d be very hard to beat as he’s got a lot of speed.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
7.05pm
“He’s another where you don’t know which one will turn up but we’ve gelded him since his last run, so we’ll see if that helps. He trained well the other day.”
