Naughty Girl will trial on Tuesday as Al tries new gear to settle her down
Trainer Al Barnes will trial Lincoln’s Girl on Tuesday with a couple of gear changes after she blew to bits behind the gate at Albion Park yesterday.
Barnes reports the Lincoln Farms owned filly was simply too keen in the score-up and pulled very hard before galloping on gate release.
“Hayden didn’t get the chance to even leave the gate,’’ said Barnes who planned to launch the filly from out wide and attack for the lead.
Barnes will now trial Lincoln’s Girl on Tuesday in a more severe bit and hopple shorteners in an effort to keep her settled.
And he will race Lincoln’s Girl three days later when she will hopefully have some of the mischief taken out of her, a fiery trait which often saw her spoil her chances in New Zealand.
The trial will also serve to tick off one of the two out-of-draw barrier positions she was dealt after her misdemeanour yesterday.
Barnes says, gallop apart, he was really happy with the way Lincoln’s Girl performed yesterday when she was obviously switched on after her first-up win the previous week.
“For her to even catch up, let alone look like she might run into the placings at one stage, was a big effort considering the winner went a mile rate of 1:52.8.
“She got tired up the straight but was entitled to.’’
Lincoln’s Girl was allowed to coast home in seventh spot behind white hot favourite Regulus.
She still clocked the third fastest closing 800 metres in the race of 57.3 behind Regulus, 55.6, and runner-up Golddigger Girl, 56.94.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 9: Kevin Kline
9.55pm
“When Maurice asked him to go at the top of the straight at Cambridge he got lost and didn’t quite know what to do. He wound up well in the end but just left it a little late. He’ll learn from that and should go well again.”
Race 10: Debbie Lincoln
10.22pm
“She has ability but she’s a work in progress. She’s fast but she needs to harness it. She gets a little claustrophobic when they come around her so the mission on Friday will be to get round without her doing anything stupid. She’s a much stronger individual now than when she started off in April.”