Consistent Double Or Nothing drawn to lead again though the company is stronger
By Barry Lichter • 28 February 2020
Trainer Al Barnes believes Double Or Nothing’s gate speed should help him get some of the money again at Albion Park on Saturday night even though he faces a stronger line-up.
Double Or Nothing steps up in company and distance in the fourth race but should easily find the lead from two on the gate.
And from there Barnes says he’ll take catching as usual.
“He’ll be in front, doing his best, and I don’t think the step-up from a mile to 2138 metres will make any difference to him.”
Double Or Nothing was driven hard out of the gate to lead from five last week and looked home on the turn, only to be swamped late and finish fourth, four metres behind winner Cherrys The Best.
Pull down blinds did not work on Double Or Nothing last week when he was swamped late into fourth.‘We tried pull down blinds on him and they backfired,” says Barnes.
“As soon as Hayden pulled them he regretted it.”
Double Or Nothing has tackled 2138 metres only once in Queensland, when a close second, and has yet to run further back than fourth in seven starts there.
It mirrors his New Zealand form when he finished further back then fourth only three times in 20 starts, earning $40,000.
“He’s very reliable, he just tends to wait for them a bit in the straight. But they’ve still got to catch him and he’s very fit now.
“We don’t do a lot with him at home in between races, just jog him and keep him as fresh and sharp as possible.”
One of the hardest for him to beat on Saturday night will be the former Mark Jones-trained Jamies Bad Boy who has racked up four wins and four seconds from eight starts since arriving in Brisbane.
Double Or Nothing races at 10pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 5: Sammy Lincoln
6.45pm
“You can’t hold that last race against him and he probably needed the run too as it was his first for a couple of months. Ability-wise he’s very good and on paper he should win. If he turns up, he’s the one to beat for sure.”
Race 6: Colonel Lincoln
7.20pm
“He got hooked up last week in that melee down the back straight and once you lose that momentum it’s hard, particularly when you’re get back in the field. He’ll go an honest race but he really needs to lose a point or two so he can get a better draw or an easier field.”
Race 9: Leo Lincoln
9.07pm
“He was closing on the winner last week, even though American Me had already switched off. There are no American Mes this week and you can guarantee he’ll be in it. He’ll go better the Cambridge way round - he handle the corners a lot better.”
Race 9: Ultimate Cullect
9.07pm
“I thought she went quite a good race last week and her driver Tony Cameron also said she went well and tried hard. She lacks a yard of speed - when they accelerate she flounders a bit - but she winds up and whacks away.”
