It’s the Charge of the Light Brigade behind Lincoln’s Girl at Albion Park tonight.
Lincoln’s Girl oh so brave and Al tips that’s just the start of a winning roll
By Barry Lichter • 6 August 2019
Lincoln’s Girl surprised even trainer Al Barnes with her courageous win at Albion Park tonight when the finish was so close you could have thrown a blanket over the first nine home.
And so brave was the filly, Barnes now believes she can win another five or six races in the coming months for Lincoln Farms.
“She’s a lovely filly and tries so hard,” says Barnes. “I was really impressed with her tonight, I thought she was all out at the top of the straight.”
Barnes could have been forgiven for thinking the petrol tank would be empty turning for home after a brutal first half run in 55.7.
But it was the early burn that actually played into the hands of the highly strung filly, who, driven patiently by Hayden Barnes held her position until asked to sprint up three wide to lead at the bell.
It meant Lincoln’s Girl wasn’t pulling and over-racing, features of her recent racing over longer trips in the Oaks races.
“I knew she’d bounce back to form back in her right class as that’s her style of racing, out running and doing her own thing.”
But when Grant Dixon saw Barnes coming, he kicked up inside on Ark Me, knowing if he got to the front first, he’d earn a sweet trail behind the filly.
They’re coming from everywhere but Lincoln’s Girl holds on by two metres.Even with the extra exertion, Lincoln’s Girl still had plenty of fight up the straight, and she staved off a wall of attackers with eight horses lined across the track just behind her at the post, Ark Me and Hadley dead-heating for second and only noses back to Gold Reactor and Havana Moon.
Lincoln’s Girl, who paid $4.60 on the New Zealand tote, scored by two metres, clocking a slick 1:54.8 mile rate for the 1660 metres.
The game performance belied the fact Barnes spotted her pacing keenly in the warm-up, as darkness set in and the lights came on, a scenario he dreaded knowing she has a history of over-racing at night.
“But she’s getting better all the time and will only get better with more racing.
“She gets a mare’s concession of five points so is still on a pretty low rating and I think she can now go on and do what Trojan Banner did and win them in a row if I can find the right races for her.”
The A$4546 winning stake boosted Lincoln’s Girl’s earnings since she arrived in Queensland to A$25,673, a fine return for a filly who was considered weak when she arrived in the state earlier in the year.
And while Lincoln’s Girl might have a for sale sign on her, Barnes believes she will be worth even more money as she gets older and stronger.
“I’d love to keep her. I’d buy her myself if I had the money.”
The challengers are spread right across the track at the finish.
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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.”
