Hayden Barnes with Larry Lincoln who has a lethal sprint if saved up. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
Forget that last run, lethal Larry will show his usual dash tomorrow at Albion Park
By Barry Lichter • 3 December 2020
Put the line through Larry Lincoln’s last start failure and expect him to bounce straight back into form at Albion Park tomorrow, says trainer Al Barnes.
Larry Lincoln tarnished his pick fence winning form line 12 days ago when he raced in midfield, was under pressure a long way from home and tailed the field in.
But Barnes says the horse simply failed to back up from his winning run four days earlier.
“We threw him in the deep end, not knowing if he could back up, and he obviously can’t.
“He got a touch fired up and pulled a bit hard. But Hayden didn’t knock him around. He could tell he wasn’t happy and left him alone.”
Barnes says even though Larry has drawn awkwardly at three on the second row on Friday, he expects him to finish in the money.
“He’ll be right this week and run on as usual. We gave him a little freshen up, of three to four days, and his work has been good since.
“We’re rapt with him and you can’t fault his form before the last run.”
Larry Lincoln showed he possessed a lethal sprint if not asked to go hard early, winning four in a row.
His main opposition on Friday looks to be from the pole in the form of the new Kiwi import Oaxacan Dream, now in the powerful stable of Craig Cross.
Formerly with Brendan Hill, the Big Jim four-year-old was a last-start winner at Addington in September, beating the All Stars’ Beyond Words with a tidy passing lane sprint. She is the winner of three of only seven starts.
Larry Lincoln races at 6.33pm NZ time at Albion Park on Friday.
More news in Harness
Andre’s tip to Ray - try taking the blinds off head-scratcher Sammy Lincoln for Cambridge
Sammy’s back, trialling well, and the bookies are keeping him very safe on Friday night
Ignore the form line, Spirit Of God can answer punters’ prayers in Friday’s get-out stakes
Lincoln Wave poised for cheeky showing at Auckland on Friday night despite ratings
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
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.”
