Al handcuffed by stifling heat so don’t expect Sir Tiger to be at his best on Friday night
By Barry Lichter • 12 December 2019
Recent temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s mean Sir Tiger will be only 90% fit when he resumes racing at Albion Park on Friday night.
Trainer Al Barnes has been forced to back off Sir Tiger’s workload in the very hot and muggy Queensland weather which he says could hang round for another couple of weeks.
“You’ve got to ride it out when it’s like this and just keep them ticking over - you can’t pump them in between races.”
For Sir Tiger that’s pretty significant as he hasn’t raced since running second on October 25 after which he was gelded.
Barnes intended racing Sir Tiger last Friday after he finished a head second in a trial on November 26 but decided, because very high temperatures were forecast on racenight, to only trial him again earlier that week.
Al Barnes … Sir Tiger has a good trailing draw.Pitted against free-for-allers, Sir Tiger finished sixth equal, driver Hayden Barnes not pressuring him after he sat parked in the running and the leaders whipped home in 54.8. The winner, Rock With Sam (15 wins) clocked a mile rate of 1:58 for the 1660 metres.
“He got tired in the last 100 metres, blew up, and had a good puff.
“Sitting parked is not his go either. He needs to be saved for one sprint and that’s how we’ll drive him on Friday.”
Barnes says Sir Tiger has a good trailing draw on the second row and describes his opposition as very even with no standouts.
“I’m hoping the gelding will turn him into a more genuine racehorse and if he raced to his full potential he’d be hard to beat.
“He’s still high in testosterone but I hope to see good improvement in the next few weeks when we get him into a consistent pattern of weekly racing.”
Barnes says Sir Tiger has been pacing better since he fitted him with a one legged spreader to keep him from hitting his splint.
Sir Tiger races at 11.38pm NZ time at Albion Park on Friday night.
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Deb dresses her latest ‘Copy’ weanling in white and he delivers a Major coup
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
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.”
