Lincoln’s Girl and driver Hayden Barnes were too tough for their trial rivals yesterday. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
Strong trial win sees Al change tack with Lincoln’s Girl and target Tuesday mile
By Barry Lichter • 31 July 2019
Trainer Al Barnes will reserve Lincoln’s Girl for Albion Park on Tuesday after she scored a strong trial win on the course yesterday.
Barnes had planned to race the filly in Sunday’s A$7500 Marburg Oaks but her tough run yesterday has tilted him in favour of running next week for A$8500 over a more preferable distance.
“Rather than running in the Oaks over 2200 metres on an unfamiliar tight track, where she might over-race and pull, I thought she’d be better over 1660 metres on Tuesday for more money.
“She’s been a bit fresh and needed the hitout yesterday but did a power of work and won very convincingly.
“She started from two on the second row, went three wide to the chair and on to the top at the 800 and was too strong, winning by 1.9 metres.”
Lincoln’s Girl, freshened since the Queensland Oaks, clocked 1:59.4 in beating Bettor Vision over the 1660 metres, a mile rate of 1:55.8, home in 57.4 and 29.2.
A few minutes before Lincoln’s Girl trialled yesterday, Barnes won a race with former Lincoln Farms’ pacer Miss Blue Glory who paced similar time to Lincoln’s Girl.
Barnes will start Trojan Banner in Sunday’s Marburg Derby, confident he will improve on his seventh last night when he was forced to work overtime throughout the race.
More news in Harness
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Friday’s Lincoln Farms Franklin Cup all about the standing start manners of Aussie raider
Our runners this week
Tuesday at Cambridge
Colonel Lincoln, Onyx Shard, Commander Lincoln, Debbie Lincoln, Kevin Kline, Lincoln La Moose, The Big Lebowski.
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 2: Commander Lincoln
5.51pm
“Back to Cambridge and the easier amateur ranks he can get some of it. He’s an honest little horse who pays his way.”
Race 4: Onyx Shard
6.49pm
“She’s a nice filly who is training really well and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her in the money in spite of the outside draw. She’d be one of the best in that field and is definitely an each-way chance.”
Race 6: Colonel Lincoln
7.39pm
“He hasn’t raced for nearly 21 months but his training has been good and he should go well first-up. He’s a beautiful, big horse who probably lacks a yard of speed to be a real super horse but he’s got everything else. I expect him to go well against this lot.”
Race 7: Lincoln La Moose
8.04pm
“He’s training well and has surprised us before, like when he won his first start at Cambridge like a monster after breaking on the first turn. It’s always the way when they win their first start - it makes things hard for them after that - but he’s travelling well now and is capable of being in it.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 4: Lincoln Lou
7.09pm
“He’ll be relying on a heap of good luck from the second row. His last run was a non-event. The poor little bugger couldn’t have done a better job of finding trouble. He’s trained on all right.”
Race 4: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.09pm
“He’s training really well and he showed last time what a big motor he had, losing all that ground early and still getting up to win. He’s not famous for his gate speed but as long as he gets away safely then Maurice can put him in the race at the right time. There are a lot of horses in there that aren’t that safe who could stand on their ear. Navigating through them is always a worry. He’ll need some luck but he could give them a fright.”
Race 6: Frisco Bay
8.05pm
“He obviously can’t beat Duchess Megxit or Jeremiah but if he gets a good trip he’s a chance of getting some money. Things didn’t suit him last time - being out three wide then going to the front. He’s so hot, he over-races. He goes best if he’s allowed to slop out and find the back of something, when he generally relaxes. Even if he got back a bit, that would be all right, so long as he gets sucked along.”
