Wow! 1:53.3: This Girl just keeps getting better and better and now it’s all on for the Oaks
By Barry Lichter • 31 May 2019
Lincoln’s Girl paced so fast in her Pot Of Gold win at Albion Park tonight she was just a fraction of a second off becoming Sir Lincoln’s fastest ever performer.
Lincoln Farms’ rapidly improving filly clocked a staggering 1:53.3 mile rate for the 1660 metres - and she didn’t do it on the pegs, rather three wider to the death seat, before drawing out to win by nearly four metres.
Trainer Al Barnes was nearly lost for words after watching Lincoln’s Girl, confidently driven by his son Hayden, run one of the fastest miles by a c0 pacer seen in Queensland.
Lincoln’s Girl runs to the line strongly to beat Timeless Appeal and Mister Diamond at Albion Park.“When we got her we thought if we could get her to settle, she’d be a nice sit-sprint filly. We never thought she’d race three wide to the chair and win in 1:53.3. That’s a great time for a filly and she did it tough.’’
No class records are kept in Queensland but you can get some idea of how special the run was by comparing the time top pacer Colt Thirty One ran when winning the 2017 Pot Of Gold - 1:54.1.
When Colt Thirty One bagged the c4-c5 Rising Stars Final last year he was only one tenth of a second faster than Lincoln’s Girl in 1:53.2.
Incredibly, it’s Lincoln’s Girls’ older brother Lincoln Road who holds the mantle as Sir Lincoln’s fastest pacer, having run 1:53.1 twice in his 10 wins in Brisbane for Barnes.
Barnes is trying to stay grounded as he now turns his mind to preparing Lincoln’s Girl for the first of her big assignments, the A$21,110 Redcliffe Oaks (2040m) on June 22.
“She’ll have one more run before then and then she’ll have two weeks to freshen up for the Oaks.’’
Barnes knows he still has work to do to get Lincoln’s Girl into the A$100,000 Queensland Oaks (2138m) on July 13.
“She’s driving well now, and not pulling like she used to, but we now have to start winning over 2100 metres.
“It will be interesting to see what she does when we tuck her in behind. She’s done a bit of work in her last couple of runs and might want to keep charging.’’
Top Queensland filly Smart As Camm Be won 11 races on end.Smart As Camm Be daunting
Barnes also knows it will be a daunting prospect taking on Queensland’s top filly Smart As Camm Be, who has won 11 of her 14 starts.
Smart As Camm Be could well be too good over longer trips but interestingly seven of her wins have been over 1660 metres and the fastest she has clocked is a 1:55.7 mile rate.
In her last two starts she won a heat of the Victoria Oaks, clocking a mile rate of 1:57.2 for the 2240 metres and ran seventh, from a horror draw, in Belle Of Montana’s final.
“She’s a quality filly,’’ says Barnes. “But Lincoln’s Girl just keeps on improving - every time she’s won she’s gone a second quicker. She’s racing way beyond our expectations.’’
Barnes says he’s in love with the family of Lincoln’s Girl and Lincoln Road, who are out of the late Bob McArdle’s broodmare Tania Tandias.
Their younger brother Tommy Lincoln also starred last week, scoring on debut for Lincoln Farms at Alexandra Park.
Lincoln’s Girl clocked closing sectionals of 27.6, 29.6, 27.9 and 28.2 in her win tonight, for a total time of 1:56.9.
The Pot of Gold purse was worth A$6321 which, along with her heat purse of A$2100, saw her bank A$8421 for only a single rating penalty. Her career record now stands at six wins from 18 starts.
She paid $1.70 in Australia and $1.80 in New Zealand.
More news in Sir Lincoln
Sir Lincoln itching to get out and explore his new home in Tasmania
Coasters raise a glass to Sir Lincoln after he sires two winners at Westport
You’ve got to love ‘Herbie’ - Gerard says with his attitude comes more than a VW motor
Bundoran does Sir Lincoln proud on debut - but the vultures are already circling
Sir Lincoln Top 10
Did you know…
1. CUP DAY BIRTH: It was preordained Sir Lincoln would be a headliner when he was born just hours before the 2006 New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington. Three years later to the day, and almost the hour, he annihilated his rivals on the same course in the Sires’ Stakes Final.
2. AGE NO BARRIER: In his second last race start, at the age of six, Sir Lincoln paced the fastest 1700 metres in New Zealand history, 2:00.5, beating Gold Ace and clocking a mile rate of 1:54 at Alexandra Park. Champion pacer Elsu held the previous record at 2:01.1.
3. ON THREE LEGS: Sir Lincoln ran his last race virtually on three legs, when second to Terror To Love in an Interdominion heat at Auckland. He had to be pulled out of the Melbourne series, and retired, when found to have a subluxated pastern joint - basically his ankle joint was dislocated.
4. SWIFT GOLDEN MILE: Sir Lincoln’s fastest mile was recorded in the 2012 Group III Golden Mile at Menangle in Sydney when he was nosed out by Captain Joy in 1:51.4. He was known by the name Lincoln Royal in Australia.
5. AT THE REINS: One for the trivia fans - how many drivers did Sir Lincoln have in his 57-start career? Maurice McKendry was Linc’s pilot throughout his career but he was MIA four times when the horse was handled by James Stormont, Ken Barron and Blake Fitzpatrick (twice).
6. WINNERS KEEP COMING: In only his third season with runners on the track, Sir Lincoln has already sired the winners of 30 races despite having limited numbers to represent him. Last season in New Zealand alone he had 16 winners from only 39 starters and this term he already has six winners from just 18 starters.
7. SOMEBEACH SOME RAP: Breeding buffs made a beeline for Sir Lincoln after superstar racehorse and stallion Somebeachsomewhere had to be put down with cancer. Sir Lincoln is 7/8th bred on the same cross as Somebeachsomewhere - by Mach Three out of a Beach Towel mare who is in turn out of a Cam Fella mare.
8. DISCOUNT FOR LOYALTY: Broodmare owners are returning to Sir Lincoln in droves. Taken by the attractive foals he is leaving, many book straight back to the Alabar-based sire and take advantage of Lincoln Farms’ loyalty scheme which cuts his service fee in half to just $1250 plus GST.
9. TIME BEST FRIEND: Sir Lincoln’s progeny are mirroring the sire’s own start on the racetrack, benefitting from a little time to mature. The best the horse himself could manage as a two-year-old was one third from four starts but he was a different animal at three, winning four of his first five starts.
10. MEGASTAR’S FREAK DEATH: A freak accident claimed the life of valuable broodmare Lincoln’s Megastar, a full sister to Sir Lincoln. The mare, who opened her career with a nine and a half length walloping at Auckland, was retired after six wins, but left only one foal. She was killed when crushed by a fallen tree in a violent storm. Woodlands Stud has another full sister in two-year-old Moonlighting who is in training with Ray Green.