Revealed: Why Lincoln’s Girl will go close on Friday - she’s been smashing the clock
By Barry Lichter • 1 May 2019
Lincoln’s Girl’s form line might not reflect it, but the filly has been going gangbusters and she’s a strong each way chance at Albion Park on Friday evening.
The key to Lincoln’s Girl’s chances in the fifth race is that she is back in the draw, and leaves the gate from three.
The Lincoln Farms’ owned filly was banished from the draw after galloping away on April 16 and forced to start from the second row and outside of the arm in her latest two races.
Her two efforts for seventh and third hid the fact she ran the fastest sectionals in her races both times, making up excellent ground after having to be snagged back to the rear.
Lincoln’s Girl sweeps round three wide turning in as she reels off a 54.38 last half.In her last start, on April 26, Lincoln’s Girl clocked an astonishing 54.38 for her last 800 metres, the fastest of the day, and closed in 27.3 to be only 6.6 metres from the winner in a 1:54.5 mile rate.
Trainer Al Barnes will tell you only a few of the very elite horses in Brisbane are capable of matching that 800 metre time.
Two starts back, from the second row, Lincoln’s Girl again made up a huge slice of ground, clocking 55.32 and 27.2 in a 1:55.9 mile, gaining 16.7 metres over the last 800 metres, according to Racing Queensland’s official stats.
The dilemma for Barnes and his driver son Hayden now is that while the filly has been running exceptional times, it’s because she hasn’t been burned early out of the gate.
On Friday, drawn three, the perfect game plan would be to cross the one and two horses then hand up to the four, Timeless Appeal, who led in their last meeting.
“If we lead, we win, but we don’t really want to push her too hard out of the gate and get her back in the habit of charging,’’ says Barnes.
“Ideally we could cross without using too much petrol then sit in behind the four and run it down up the stretch.’’
Barnes is confident Lincoln’s Girl won’t muck up the start this time now she’s fitted with hopple shorteners, which give the driver much more control early.
“The field is similar to last week, it’s a bit tricky, but she’s a good chance and depending on how the race is run I’m confident she should run first or second.’’
Barnes says Lincoln’s Girl, who won in her first appearance in Brisbane, is getting fitter with each run.
“Last week she had a heart rate of 89 afterwards, which is pretty good, but it took her two races to cool out - we had to wash her twice.
“She’s bright as a button today and I can’t fault her.’’
Lincoln’s Girl closed in a sizzling 54.38 last start.
Two starts back Lincoln’s Girl made up 16.7 metres over the last 800 metres, easily the best closer in the race.
Lincoln’s Girl races at 6.23pm NZ time on Friday.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
