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.
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Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 3: Jessie Lincoln
5.44pm
“She normally runs on better but, after looking like she was going to round them up on the turn last week, she just flattened out. But she’ll be hovering around there somewhere.”
Race 5: Lincoln Maree
6.55pm
“She’s such a tough little filly who tries so hard. I wish I had one with speed with those qualities. It would be nice if they go hard, and she gets a suck along, then she might get a small piece of it. She never goes a bad race.”
Race 5: Angelic Copy
6.55pm
“She’s been going all right but she keeps getting awkward draws and getting pushed back to the rear. Because of her initial success (as a two-year-old) she’s been badly off in the ratings but she’s slowly losing points.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
6.55pm
“He’s a serious winning chance regardless of which race he starts in. If it’s here he’ll go forward from his outside gate and try to dominate again in front. He’s not just winning, he’s demolishing them.”
Race 7: Prince Lincoln
7.48pm
“He’ll start in the Metro Final if he gets a scratching. You don’t get to race for $35,000 very often so we’d take a punt on this one even though he’s on the second row.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.45pm
“He got fired up at Cambridge with the long delay and, after he went forward to get a position, Fergie was just a passenger. When they pull that hard they don’t run on. He’s been racing well and can’t be ruled out if he gets a good trip.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.45pm
”If he gets a half decent trip, he’s the one to beat. Ignore the Cambridge run last week from a stand. We know what he can do from the mobile.”
