Al: Dopey Its Super Easy a bit of a project but I’m hoping to get him steering better

Trainer Al Barnes will use a hanging bit on Its Super Easy on Tuesday hoping it helps him steer better than when he failed badly on debut at Albion Park last week.

But while he meets an easier field in the second race, Barnes says the horse will have to lift a lot to have any chance of earning money.

Both Barnes and his son Hayden were surprised at how badly the Art Major three-year-old ran last week, his poor performance the subject of a judicial probe.

“He didn’t run up to his trial form at all and Hayden was very disappointed. He was hanging in and hitting a knee, he was on and off the bit, and just didn’t travel at all.”

Warned for being a couple of lengths off the gate at the start, Its Super Easy was last in the running and dropped off the pack by six lengths with 400 metres to run, finishing 60 metres from the winner.

“Hayden just left him alone. When they’re getting on a knee you can’t start bustling them.”

Barnes says while Its Super Easy didn’t steer the best when third and first in two previous trials, he was a lot better than in his race.

Al Barnes … Its Super Easy a six month project.“But green horses do that. You think you’ve got them one day and the next you don’t. He’s a big, dopey type. We knew he was a project when he came here and he could be a six month project.

“But we’re going to use a more severe bit on Tuesday and we’ll see how we go.”

While Tuesday’s easier race will be run much slower than last week, when winner Dataldo paced a mile rate of 1:54, Barnes doesn’t think the fast tempo brought Its Super Easy undone.

“A hot race didn’t seem to worry him when he ran third in Northview Hustler’s trial, and went 1:55, and he’s not a nervous type who gets upset on raceday, he’s very calm and relaxed.”

All the horses drawn inside him on Tuesday have only Redcliffe form but Barnes says they have the advantage of race experience.

“So long as he improves we’ll be happy - he couldn’t go much worse. We just want to see him do everything right and stay in touch with the field.”

Fellow “project horses” Joey Lincoln and Cover Boy Pretty will have educational trials tomorrow.

Joey Lincoln “got scared and galloped out of the gate last week” but paced great afterwards.

“He’s getting there but it will be Cover Boy Pretty’s first education. He’s been a bit keen at home.”

Queensland’s educational trials are similar to the learners’ workout heats here - horses go round behind the barrier for a couple of laps before running a mile in about 2:06.

Its Super Easy races at 4.52pm NZ time at Albion Park on Tuesday.