Strong trial win sees Al change tack with Lincoln’s Girl and target Tuesday mile

Trainer Al Barnes will reserve Lincoln’s Girl for Albion Park on Tuesday after she scored a strong trial win on the course yesterday.

Barnes had planned to race the filly in Sunday’s A$7500 Marburg Oaks but her tough run yesterday has tilted him in favour of running next week for A$8500 over a more preferable distance.

“Rather than running in the Oaks over 2200 metres on an unfamiliar tight track, where she might over-race and pull, I thought she’d be better over 1660 metres on Tuesday for more money.

“She’s been a bit fresh and needed the hitout yesterday but did a power of work and won very convincingly.

“She started from two on the second row, went three wide to the chair and on to the top at the 800 and was too strong, winning by 1.9 metres.”

Lincoln’s Girl, freshened since the Queensland Oaks, clocked 1:59.4 in beating Bettor Vision over the 1660 metres, a mile rate of 1:55.8, home in 57.4 and 29.2.

A few minutes before Lincoln’s Girl trialled yesterday, Barnes won a race with former Lincoln Farms’ pacer Miss Blue Glory who paced similar time to Lincoln’s Girl.

Barnes will start Trojan Banner in Sunday’s Marburg Derby, confident he will improve on his seventh last night when he was forced to work overtime throughout the race.