Easier field, tougher draw but our Tommy’s going well enough to be right in it again

Tommy Lincoln drops into a much easier race at Albion Park on Saturday night but the flip side is he will have to overcome a very tough draw.

When Tommy took on the top free-for-all horses last week, and was a shade unlucky in running only sixth, he started from gate three and enjoyed a sweet trip in the running.

But in the opening race this week, as one of the best performed horses in a band four event, he is landed with the worst draw on the outside of the front line.

And with his main opposition Mach Da Vinci stranded three on the second row, trainer Mark Dux says it will come down to which of the pair gets the best run.

“It’s a tough draw all right but he’s still a top two chance. It will all depend on what happens in the running.”

Tommy Lincoln’s bid to lead last week was thwarted by pole runner Blacksadance who kicked up inside him on a sizzling 26.8 first quarter. He ended up with a one-one trail when Crunch Time looped the field to sit parked at the 700m.

But when driver Shane Graham tried to push out turning for home he was held in when first Crunch Time rolled out in front of him then Colt Thirty One came alongside.

“He did run up on to the back of (runner-up) Crunch Time and, while he wasn’t bolting, the way he hit the line he’d have finished closer if he’d been outside that horse,” Dux said.

As it was, with nowhere to go, Tommy Lincoln finished just 5.4 metres from the all-the-way winner Blacksadance who clocked a swift mile rate of 1:51.8 for the 1660 metres.

“And Shane said if he’d drawn inside Blacksadance he’d have won.”

On Saturday night, top junior Angus Garrard is back at the helm and Dux says he won’t be able to simply blast forward over the 2138 metres.

“There are a couple inside him who have good gate speed and one who will certainly park us.

“But he’s going as well as anything in the race and even if he has to sit parked he’ll be right in it again.”

Tommy Lincoln has racked up four wins and a third in just seven starts in Queensland for Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street and their partners Ian Middleton, Shannon and Brenda Flay, Ian, Kathy and Daniel Parkinson, Debbie Sparks, Ray Menzies and Denis Ebert.

Tommy Lincoln races at 7.37pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.