Al’s winning recipe: We’ll just leave Larry alone and let him do his own thing
By Barry Lichter • 29 October 2020
With another good draw, Larry Lincoln can go back to back at Albion Park on Friday night.
“It looks a very winnable race again,” says trainer Al Barnes. “The field’s no harder than the one he beat last week.”
Larry Lincoln was confidently tipped by Barnes as a winner last Friday after brilliant track work during the week and he duly obliged, capitalising on a trailing trip with a telling late sprint.
Part of the reason for the form turnaround was also that Barnes instructed his son Hayden not to burn the horse early, but to let him find his feet.
Barnes also learned last week that Larry doesn’t like to be stressed late with the whip or even have his hood pulled. When that happened in the run home he jammed his tail and went from bolting to not wanting to run.
So this week Larry will be left to do his own thing - not only at the start but also at the finish.
With two Redcliffe level horses drawn inside him, you’d think it would be a given that Larry will cross them from three but Barnes says whether that happens will depend on how fast they leave the gate.
“He can go forward and try to lead but we don’t want to burn him early, we’ll just let him slide forward. He can get a little keen.”
Regardless of where he settles, Barnes says the Sweet Lou three-year-old, with his natural speed, will be hard to beat again over only 1660 metres.
Larry Lincoln races at 8.52pm NZ time at Albion Park on Friday night.
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Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.40pm
“She’s going as good as she can. She’s got a bit of speed but isn’t that strong. But she should get a nice trip here and be right in the frame. She’ll win one soon.”
Race 1: Jessie Lincoln
5.40pm
“She’s a big filly who has taken time to mature but she has plenty of ability. She’s a good pacer and I expect her to improve on her resuming run and go well.”
Race 1: Lincoln Dealer
5.40pm
“He’s a bit of a handful, too keen for his own good sometimes, so I’ll be happy to see him just get round and do most things right. He’s no superstar but he’s coming to it slowly but surely. We’re throwing him in the deep end here and he has a terrible draw but we have to start somewhere.”
Race 4: Lincoln Maree
7.04pm
“She’s as tough as old boots and tries like hell and you can’t ask for much more than that. She just lacks a bit of speed but has a good attitude. She usually finds one or two better than her but will make them work for it anyway.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Prince Lincoln
4.56pm
“He’ll be improved for the last run, has trialled and is working well, and has a better draw (the ace) this time. You just have to be a bit wary because he’s let us down a couple of times.”
Race 3: Angelic Copy
5.56pm
“She had a tie-up issue but seems much better now. It’s her first run for a while so she’ll definitely need the run. I’m just hoping she gets around all right and pulls up OK.”
Race 3: Colonel Lincoln
5.56pm
“He’s a very capable horse, if injury prone, and he’s been back in work for three or four months. You never say never but, realistically, he’s just starting off so you can’t expect him to be at his peak.”
Race 5: Sammy Lincoln
6.55pm
“I know I said it two starts back but if there’s such a thing as a certainty, he’s it. Even from seven on the gate, everything says he’s the one to beat. If he hadn’t gone a bit goofy up the home straight last time in the Sires’ Stakes Semi at Cambridge, he’d have easily run third. This is a huge drop in class.”
Race 7: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.58pm
“I expect he’ll be a bit sharper this time. He’s looking well and feeling good but I still think another run under his belt will be beneficial for him. He’s not one to leap out of the ground but he is capable of taking the race.”
