Acupuncture has helped free up Man Of Action’s rear end and trainer Al Barnes says he’s a different horse this week.
A prick here and a prick there and Man Of Action is a happy horse at long last
By Barry Lichter • 28 April 2021
It’s been a long time since Al Barnes looked forward to taking Man Of Action to the races.
But tonight he’ll float the horse to Redcliffe with a completely different outlook - thanks to an acupuncture session that seems to have completely transformed the horse.
Barnes got into the sulky when he raced last week to see if he could discover why Man Of Action has been out of the money in his last 13 starts, a losing streak dating back to last November.
“He was throwing his legs really wide, kicking the wheels, and they were that wide he was nearly kicking other people’s wheels.
“And he stood in the tie-up stalls kicking all night, so I definitely think he’s been trying to send us a message.
“He’s 10 times better than he’s been showing,” said Barnes who has also seen the horse struggle to cope with the Queensland heat in recent months.
Enter former driver and trainer Jason Proctor, these days in demand for the excellent results trainers are getting from his acupuncture treatment.
Al Barnes … the horse has been trying to send us a message.“We found a few problems in his back end. He had a muscle tear in his lumbar and everything was really tight. Muscles need to be soft and supple so he was in a lot of discomfort.”
With blood flow to the area stimulated by Proctor’s needles, Man Of Action has been a different horse this week, says Barnes.
“He’s so much happier. Normally he’s a pest to jog, his tail swishes and he bucks and carries on, but this week he’s been jogging like a lamb.”
And instead of the grumpy animal who’d continually try to double barrel Barnes, or get angry with him if he even attempted to fix his rug strap, Man Of Action has been super chilled.
Barnes has also “gone hard” treating the horse’s ulcers.
“Ulcers were giving him grief, so I’ve changed his feed, given him more roughage during the day and some liquorice, which really helps them.”
Now that Man Of Action isn’t hurting, Barnes hopes we’ll start to see a different horse in the next few weeks.
“I’m not saying he’s perfect - he’ll be a lot better next week - but I’m really happy with him and looking forward to racing tonight.
“Last week he had a lot of problems and didn’t finish that far away (fourth) so this week, well on the way to healing, I’m hoping he can do better.
“It’s a very even field - a bit weaker than last week - and while he’s drawn badly, I’m happy with that. I can grab hold, go back to the running line and let him run on.
“I want to give him confidence that he’s not going to hurt.”
Man Of Action races at Redcliffe on Wednesday night at 8.47pm.
More news in Harness
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Cheapie Johnny Lincoln a “proper” racehorse who can foot it with the Million bluebloods
Bang! Lincoln Wave’s tyre blows out, startling rival drivers but Alabar win would shock more
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.44pm
“She did well here last time as she had to do a bit to get to the lead and she dug in and fought on. She’s certainly a chance if she repeats that effort.”
Race 4: Lincoln Linda
7.09pm
“I thought she went super last time after doing a lot of work. She can do that because she has an engine and is tough. She’s a bit one-dimensional - you have to turn her loose early - but from the two draw she should be able to lead and that’s where she does her best work.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.34pm
“I think he’s a bit stronger after his spell. It’s not a great field - most will die on that mark - and I don’t see a problem with the standing start as he’s nicely gaited. He could be marginally unfit after three months out but he’s done quite a bit of work and I can see him going a half-decent race.”
Race 6: Lincoln Maree
7.59pm
“She had every chance last time but I can’t see why she won’t go well again. She’s as honest as they come and tries like hell.”
Race 7: The Night Fox
8.29pm
“You’d think he’d lead easily from the inside. He’s had bad draws and still got the money, so I’m sure he’ll go another good race. I’m surprised they sold him so cheaply. He’s better than people think.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Lincoln Wave
5.09pm
“With the trip he got in the Harness Million I thought he’d have run on a lot better. But he was still a bit short on fitness and sometimes we can expect too much of these horses, he was racing the best, after all. It’s a big drop in grade here and he’s a pretty fair horse.”
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.09pm
“He’s an honest sort who’s in a good space but he won’t get a wonderful trip from the outside of the gate this time so I’m not holding my breath.”
Race 3: Sammy Lincoln
6.04pm
“He’s training down well but you never know what he’s going to do. You think you’ve got him sorted and he does something silly. But we know if the real Sammy turned up, he’d be very hard to beat as he’s got a lot of speed.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
7.05pm
“He’s another where you don’t know which one will turn up but we’ve gelded him since his last run, so we’ll see if that helps. He trained well the other day.”
