Larry Lincoln and Hayden Barnes look a winning combination on Friday night. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
Al and Hayden happy as Larry after brilliant trackwork in lead-up to Friday at the Creek
By Barry Lichter • 22 October 2020
Brilliant trackwork during the week has Larry Lincoln’s connections very bullish about his winning at Albion Park on Friday night.
“On the times he’s been running he should just be winning,” says trainer Al Barnes.
“Hayden was been rapt with his work through the week. He’s worked as good as anything we’ve got.”
But don’t expect Hayden to simply blast to the lead in the fifth race and try to defie his rivals.
After scoring an easy win in his Queensland debut, when he mile rated in 1:55, Larry Lincoln has disappointed when sixth in his next two outings, driven aggressively both times.
Trainer Al Barnes suspects the horse doesn’t like that style of racing.
“Hayden couldn’t understand why he pulled up with such a high heart rate last week but working too hard on what is now a heavy track obviously doesn’t work.
“We’ll drive him quietly on Friday, just hold our position out of the gate, and give him some confidence.
“It’s not a strong field - it’s a bit of a drop in class on what he’s been racing - so from two he should be winning.”
A measure of Larry Lincoln’s chances is the fact the early second favourite is the less than impressive It’s Super Easy, whom Barnes trained for Lincoln Farms for four starts earlier in the year before he was sold.
Barnes says it’s the horse’s work this week, rather than the switch back from 2138 metres to 1660 metres that gives him such confidence.
Larry Lincoln races at 10.18pm NZ time at Albion Park on Friday night.
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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.”
