Young gun Angus Garrard drives both Tommy Lincoln and Captain Nemo on Saturday night. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
Don’t be fooled by the poor form line, Tommy’s racing as well as ever and will go close
By Barry Lichter • 30 June 2022
His form line may look terrible but Tommy Lincoln is a genuine winning chance at Albion Park on Saturday night.
Despite finishing at the tail of the field in last week’s Group I Redcliffe Gold Cup, driver Angus Garrard reported the horse was racing as well as ever.
And trainer Mark Dux says now that Tommy has finally landed a good draw - he leaves from the pole - and drops way down in grade, we’ll see the real Tommy.
“In that field he’ll be in the top three in the betting for sure and, on the times he’s been running and the horses he’s been racing, he’ll be hard to beat.
“At least we know he’ll get a good trip this time and be in the thick of things. There are a couple of nice ones drawn wide out (like the former Purdon horse Major Jellis, now with the McCarthys) but they have to cross us.
“Tommy will come out and lead then it will be up to Angus but I think he’ll hold up.”
Dux warns not to be put off by the numbers alongside Tommy’s name.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for a good draw and I thought he went very well at Redcliffe.
“He was caught wide and had to go back. Angus took short the cuts but that didn’t pan out and he ended up going widest on the corner, which is not good at Redcliffe.
“For a fleeting moment when he came off their backs it looked like he’d sprint but then he just paddled.”
The last two times Tommy left from the inside at Albion Park he ran terrific races, finishing second to the speedy Turn It Up over 2138 metres and fourth over 1660 metres behind Blacksadance, Northview Hustler and Bitcoin in a sizzling 1:50 track record mile.
Nothing of that calibre opposes him on Saturday night, with all the top horses contesting the feature Wondai’s Mate later in the card.
Mark Dux … nursing a sore tailbone.Four drivers dislodged
Dux has handed over the seat behind Lincoln Farms’ stablemate Captain Nemo in the fifth race to Garrard, still nursing a sore tailbone after being dislodged in a nasty incident at Albion Park on Tuesday.
Dux was one of four drivers tipped out in the two-year-old race when recent Kiwi import Uproar “did a left hand turn” in the early stages of the score-up and severely checked the five runners inside him.
Uproar, a He’s Watching colt who had been trialling well for Brett Gray in Southland, fell heavily, badly fractured a cannon bone, and was put down. The race was abandoned with two runaway horses sustaining lacerations.
Dux decided to give Saturday night’s drive a miss after coming close to crashing again in the second race at Redcliffe on Wednesday, narrowly missing the dislodged Pete McMullen whose charge was severely checked when locking wheels in the last lap.
Dux says the jury is still out on how Captain Nemo performed fresh-up at Redcliffe last week but one thing’s for sure, he’ll go a lot better on the bigger Albion Park circuit on Saturday night.
“Redcliffe is not his track, he really doesn’t like it. He was only racing there because we were forced to - he just doesn’t handle it properly.”
Captain Nemo, who beat one home, was having his first race for seven weeks at Redcliffe and had missed a trial so Dux wasn’t expecting too much of him.
Dux said Captain Nemo seemed to be travelling well three back on the markers when trailer Regulus weakened before the home turn, holding him up.
“I had only 100 odd metres to duck back to the inside and chase him up, so it was hard to make ground when all the others had been winding up wide out before the turn.
“That’s why when I was pulling up I wasn’t sure whether that was the reason or whether he just got a bit tired. He’s also a lazy horse.
“The run would do him the world of good and he’s done well this week and worked well.”
Captain Nemo has drawn one the second row but Dux is hoping he gets a good run through on the back of pole runner Ronaldo.
Tommy Lincoln races at 7.05pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
Captain Nemo races at 9.12pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
More news in Harness
‘The Kid’ flying but Argyle up against it to add good points in novel drivers’ challenge
Street’s emotion-charged night in the winners’ room - sad loss before a record four wins
It’s green jackets all the way and Ray fancies improving surprise packet Prince Lincoln
The Lincoln Wave secret is well and truly out now, but who was that mystery underbidder?
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Debbie Lincoln
5.26pm
“She had to sit parked most of the way last time but still went well, and that’s what she does. She’s proven to be a very promising filly and, while it’s hard these days to win without a good trip, it’s an even field and she’s a good chance again.”
Race 2: Lincoln Lou
5.55pm
“He probably cost himself a win last week by going roughly, but he can do that. If he’d got Frisco Bay’s trip he would have won with his closing quarters of 56 and 27 the fastest in the race. He’s just got to do things right to be the one to beat, even from the bad draw, as it’s an easier field.”
Race 5: Frisco Bay
7.30pm
“He’s up in grade a bit but I don’t think there’s anything between them. He’s just got to get the right run and, with his speed, he’ll be right in it.”
Race 6: Kevin Kline
7.59pm
“He’s no superstar but he’s very honest and he’s always a place chance as he’s a tough bugger, he sat parked last week.”
Race 6: Colonel Lincoln
7.59pm
“With a similar run to last week, he’d be right in it. He clocked 55.8 and 27.7, doing his best work at the finish. He hasn’t gone a bad race since he’s come back.”
Race 8: Prince Lincoln
8.59pm
“I wasn’t expecting him to do anything on debut as he’s a green, young horse. But he went very well so he’s obviously lifted his game for the occasion. And he’s trained on even better so the experience has enhanced him. From the inside he has to be a good chance.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.59pm
“She’s definitely a better animal left-handed but she was passable right-handed and should go better this time. She’s got some speed.”
Race 8: Lincoln Downs
8.59pm
“She’s a nice filly but is behind the others. I don’t expect her to beat anything but she needs the experience.”
Race 8: Lincoln Linda
8.59pm
“There won’t be any shadows for her to jump this time so she has to be a serious chance. She’d been dominant at the workouts and trials before her debut but didn’t get the chance to show her true worth.”
Race 8: Lincoln Lover
8.59pm
“Fergie was quite impressed with him on debut and requested the drive again. He finished on strongly up the lane and should go well again. He just needs some luck from the outside of the gate.”
Mark Dux’s comments
Saturday night at Albion Park
Race 3: Argyle
9.04pm NZ time
“I thought his last two starts have been terrific. There’s no doubt this race is tougher, and he has trickier draw, but I was talking to Angus last night and he was quite upbeat about his chances. He said the horse gave him a good feel when he sat parked two starts back and he picked him too (in the draft). But it won’t be easy. There could be a bit of pressure early. I think he’ll come out and see what unfolds and, if there is too much pressure, he’ll drive him quietly.”
Ray’s comments
Sunday at Manawatu
Race 1: Onyx Shard
5.29pm
“You can put a line through her last run at Cambridge when she pulled up showing signs of a respiratory infection. She had a couple of weeks off after that and, while she hasn’t trialled since, she’s been training down nicely. She’s a nice filly and from the good draw should really win.”
Race 3: Lincoln La Moose
6.19pm
“He wasn’t far away in the amateur race at Auckland last time despite jumping a shadow early and galloping. This is a decent drop in class for him and he should be very competitive.
