Our brave Tommy leaves them standing and gives owners a sniff of an Interdominion tilt
By Barry Lichter • 21 January 2023
Tommy Lincoln’s owners might have had to wait 10 months to see his all-the-way win at Albion Park tonight but trainer Mark Dux believes they have plenty more fun in store with the six-year-old.
And he hinted that if the six-year-old is still hale and hearty come the end of the year they might just get to experience the thrill of racing a horse in an Interdominion series.
“The Interdoms are in our back yard in December and if he’s still here and fit and well, we can throw in a nomination and see what happens.
“It’s not like we’d be putting him in just to make up numbers as we know he can run the time.
“Realistically he can’t beat a horse like Copy That but anything can happen in a race and, if he draws an alley, we know he can follow speed no matter how fast they run.
“He’s just below the very best because he needs everything to go his way but he’s more than competitive with the right trip.”
Tommy Lincoln is also very tough, a trait demanded of Interdominion runners who usually compete four times in two weeks.
Mathew Neilson looks across but has the favourite Manila Playboy well covered.“Even though he doesn’t win a lot, he comes out and runs fast times every week. He was only sixth and fourth in his last two races but they were a couple of his better runs considering the quality of horses he’s been racing and the runs he’s been getting.
“For a change he got a good draw tonight and he won it with no dramas, ran good time, and Mathew didn’t even pull the plugs.”
Dropping his opposition with a 27.3 third quarter, driver Mathew Neilson shot clear rounding the bend to record a mile rate of 1:52.8 for the 1660 metres.
“Mathew knew he had the danger (Manila Playboy) out the back and it had to run real fast sectionals to catch him.
“It was funny tonight, he said as soon as he led, the horse relaxed and dropped the bit. He didn’t know if that was good or bad but, as soon as he got down the back, he knew he had plenty of horse.”
Though Manila Playboy made up many lengths from last at the 400, Tommy Lincoln’s 55.8 dash home was too much for the favourite who couldn’t get any closer than 4.6 metres at the line.
Tommy’s winning purse of A$8832 took his Australian earnings to A$94,390 which, added to his New Zealand bankroll of $85,558 took him to within a couple of thousand dollars of $200,000 in career earnings.
“It takes a nice horse to win 15 races and get to that level.”
More news in Harness
Prince Lincoln spearheads record-sized team for Lincoln Farms at Cambridge on Friday
Ray cautions punters with no lead this time for Jekyll and Hyde colt Prince Lincoln
Two (not so) secret weapons help Lincoln Farms to $29,287 payday at Cambridge
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.”
