Lincoln’s Girl showed real stamina to win her Pot Of Gold heat over Timeless Appeal.
Lincoln’s Girl and Vasari to boost Al Barnes’ already terrific strike rate for Lincoln Farms
By Barry Lichter • 30 May 2019
Lincoln’s Girl and Vasari look beautifully poised this weekend to extend an already impressive strike rate for Queensland trainer Al Barnes with Lincoln Farms horses.
Lincoln’s Girl will start a hot favourite in the Pot Of Gold Final at Albion Park on Friday night and Vasari will be at even more restrictive odds on Saturday night, both drawn to jump straight into the driving seat.
Al Barnes … terrific strike rate with Lincoln Farms’ horses.Barnes is now training four pacers for Lincoln Farms and its partners and his record since the first two arrived at his Marburg stables in February now reads:
- Trojan Banner: Five starts, five wins
- Northview Hustler: Two starts, two wins
- Vasari: Four starts, one win and
- Lincoln’s Girl: Eight starts, three wins.
That’s an incredible 11 wins from only 19 starters and now that Barnes has Lincoln’s Girl and Vasari worked out, his strike rate can only improve.
Given how dominant Lincoln’s Girl was last week in winning her heat of the Pot Of Gold, we’ll be lucky to get $2 for her to take out the $10,960 final, run at 6.53pm on Friday night.
A perfectly executed drive by Barnes’ son Hayden saw Lincoln’s Girl overcome a second row draw that night, when she clocked a superior 1:54.2 mile rate.
“We’ve got lucky with the draw this time and from four on the front she should roll straight to the top,’’ says the trainer.
Lincoln’s Girl’s main dangers have all drawn the second line, last week’s favourite Cherrys The Best, snookered on the inside and likely to end up three deep, Timeless Appeal, three the second row, and the other much slower heat winner Im No Outlaw outside her.
“Lincoln’s Girl should be able to run home in 55 and that will make it hard for them to catch us.’’
Barnes says Lincoln’s Girl is improving and getting stronger all the time and after Friday he will start educating the filly at a longer trip.
It’s Vasari first, the rest nowhere, as he scorches to a 1:52 mile rate.Unbackable odds
Vasari, drawn perfectly in the ace on Saturday night, 10.49pm NZ time, meets much higher rated pacers but will be at unbackable odds after his supersonic 1:52 mile rate win last week.
“The horses drawn outside him don’t have the speed to cross him and he’ll lead again and be very hard to beat.’’
Vasari ran one of the fastest miles by a lower graded pacer at Albion Park last week when he clocked 1:55.5 for the 1660 metres, clearing out by 17.6 metres.
“He’s come through that really well,’’ says Barnes. “He’s easy to maintain.’’
While Vasari is a c4 horse in a race that has horses graded up to c9, Barnes says with the right horse and draw, the events are not hard to win.
The only horse in the field that has gone anywhere near Vasari’s 1:52 mile rate is Karinya Mully who clocked a 1:53.7 rate in her last-start win.
The fastest times run by the two horses drawn alongside him are 1:56.8 (Earl Jujon) and 1:56.4 (Oliver Winkle).
Lincoln’s Girl races at 6.53pm NZ time on Friday night.
Vasari races at 10.49pm NZ time on Saturday night.
More news in Harness
Unlucky Leo worth a dollar in the cup and La Moose can go close again on Thursday night
Onyx Shard can keep the ball rolling for Ray and Nathan at Manawatu on Tuesday
Ray and Debbie both in the money at the Park with speedy ‘Frisky’ and precocious ‘Angela’
What’s Up with the trotter? - Ray ‘guilty’ of being very optimistic for debut on Friday night
Our runners this week
Friday night at Auckland
Kevin Kline, What’s Up The Hill, Sugar Ray Lincoln, Lincoln Lou, Debbie Lincoln, Colonel Lincoln, Frisco Bay.
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Tuesday twilight at Manawatu
Race 5: Leo Lincoln
6.07pm
“He didn’t go very well in his workout right-handed last Thursday but he was good on Saturday when we trained him left-handed. It’s his first race for three months so he could possibly need it but we’re talking Manawatu opposition.”
Race 7: Onyx Shard
7.01pm
“She’s absolutely a winning chance. She showed that last time when she had to do a fair bit to hold the lead. Fergie is driving her this time and we’re pretty confident she’ll go well. She’s such a well-gaited mare.”
Race 8: Lincoln La Moose
7.25pm
“He dominated them last time from the outside of the gate and, even though he can be in and out, he’ll be hard to beat again. That easier opposition makes a difference when there’s nothing good enough to eye-ball you. “
Nathan’s comments
Thursday night at Manawatu
Race 5: Leo Lincoln
6.50pm
“He was very unlucky on night one. The gap sort of opened up then closed again and I had to take hold. He was still charging to the line and if the gap had come he would have been right there with the winner. If he can step and lead, then slot into the trail, he should be a winning chance.”
Race 6: Onyx Shard
7.17pm
“Ferg said she wasn’t on the bit the whole way on Tuesday, was too relaxed. We’ll take the block blinds off this time and put half blinds on and see if that helps. She had to do a bit of work in the run on Tuesday but it doesn’t seem to have knocked her around. The outside draw makes it harder.”
Race 7: Lincoln La Moose
7.39pm
“He looks our best chance of the night. He’s definitely a different horse down here and he obviously likes it in front. Ferg didn’t pull the plugs the other night and that tells you something. He’s doing everything right, I can’t fault him.”
