Tommy poised to go wire to wire on Tuesday and Dealer’s class should shine through
Speedster Tommy Lincoln is beautifully placed to open Lincoln Farms’ Brisbane carnival assault on a winning note at Albion Park on Tuesday.
And classy three-year-old American Dealer needs only an ounce of luck from the second line to make it an opening double later in the night.
The scratching of Imasportsstar in the sixth race brings Tommy Lincoln in to two on the front row from where he looks a certain leader, pole runner Oyster Stride devoid of gate speed.
“He does look well placed,” says Green. “And if he leads, he’ll be hard to beat.”
Green says Tommy Lincoln has shown he is in good shape in training since arriving in Queensland and his host Mark Dux, who takes the reins on Tuesday, has driven the horse in work.
“Mark has a good handle on him now and he’s a good driver, very experienced.”
Tommy Lincoln, who has the scalps of Copy That and Star Galleria hanging on his belt from sprint trips in New Zealand, goes into the 1660 metre event on the back of an excellent sixth in the Four-Year-Old Emerald on Harness Jewels day at Cambridge on June 6.
Burned early to cross Kango, Tommy Lincoln then took a trail on eventual winner South Coast Arden at the bell and battled bravely in the straight to finish only four lengths from the winner, himself pacing the mile in 1:52.5.
“He won’t have to run that fast on Tuesday.”
The main dangers look to be up-and-comer Ranger Bomb, but he hasn’t raced for more than four months and has to start from the outside of the front row, and The Hervey Bay, who paced a huge race wide when scoring in a 1:53.4 mile rate at Albion Park in March.
Green hasn’t planned on tackling the feature Wondai’s Mate 1660 on Saturday week when stablemate Copy That will clash with leading Australians King Of Swing, Expensive Ego and Spirit Of St Louis, but says Tuesday’s performance will help tell him where the horse sits on the pecking order.
The same applies to American Dealer who tackles rating 62 to 69 rivals from two on the second row in the ninth race.
“If he’s on top of his game I think he’ll be too good for them,” says Green.
American Dealer turned in a baffling and uncharacteristic fifth in his latest start on Jewels day at Cambridge, driver David Butcher reporting he felt flat the whole way.
It was one of the worst runs of his career which has been studded with superlative performances, often from bad alleys.
“A lot of horses didn’t perform on Jewels day so I’ve just put the line through it.
“He’s in good shape and I’m sure he’ll go well.”
American Dealer proved he was potent over a mile when clocking 1:53.3 at Ashburton last October, beating It’s All About Faith and Krug.
Green believes recent Kiwi import Rocknroll King, formerly trained in the south by Kirsten Barclay and Tank Ellis, could be the one to beat from the pole after his recent brace of wins at Albion Park.
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6.51pm NZ time
The horse has improved with his latest run (for second) and the field looks a little weaker this time. Ammicchi and Whata Optimist can fly the gate, so the lead might not be there, but with any sort of trip he should be very competitive again.