Lincoln’s Girl showed real stamina to win her Pot Of Gold heat over Timeless Appeal.
Lincoln’s Girl and Vasari to boost Al Barnes’ already terrific strike rate for Lincoln Farms
By Barry Lichter • 30 May 2019
Lincoln’s Girl and Vasari look beautifully poised this weekend to extend an already impressive strike rate for Queensland trainer Al Barnes with Lincoln Farms horses.
Lincoln’s Girl will start a hot favourite in the Pot Of Gold Final at Albion Park on Friday night and Vasari will be at even more restrictive odds on Saturday night, both drawn to jump straight into the driving seat.
Al Barnes … terrific strike rate with Lincoln Farms’ horses.Barnes is now training four pacers for Lincoln Farms and its partners and his record since the first two arrived at his Marburg stables in February now reads:
- Trojan Banner: Five starts, five wins
- Northview Hustler: Two starts, two wins
- Vasari: Four starts, one win and
- Lincoln’s Girl: Eight starts, three wins.
That’s an incredible 11 wins from only 19 starters and now that Barnes has Lincoln’s Girl and Vasari worked out, his strike rate can only improve.
Given how dominant Lincoln’s Girl was last week in winning her heat of the Pot Of Gold, we’ll be lucky to get $2 for her to take out the $10,960 final, run at 6.53pm on Friday night.
A perfectly executed drive by Barnes’ son Hayden saw Lincoln’s Girl overcome a second row draw that night, when she clocked a superior 1:54.2 mile rate.
“We’ve got lucky with the draw this time and from four on the front she should roll straight to the top,’’ says the trainer.
Lincoln’s Girl’s main dangers have all drawn the second line, last week’s favourite Cherrys The Best, snookered on the inside and likely to end up three deep, Timeless Appeal, three the second row, and the other much slower heat winner Im No Outlaw outside her.
“Lincoln’s Girl should be able to run home in 55 and that will make it hard for them to catch us.’’
Barnes says Lincoln’s Girl is improving and getting stronger all the time and after Friday he will start educating the filly at a longer trip.
It’s Vasari first, the rest nowhere, as he scorches to a 1:52 mile rate.Unbackable odds
Vasari, drawn perfectly in the ace on Saturday night, 10.49pm NZ time, meets much higher rated pacers but will be at unbackable odds after his supersonic 1:52 mile rate win last week.
“The horses drawn outside him don’t have the speed to cross him and he’ll lead again and be very hard to beat.’’
Vasari ran one of the fastest miles by a lower graded pacer at Albion Park last week when he clocked 1:55.5 for the 1660 metres, clearing out by 17.6 metres.
“He’s come through that really well,’’ says Barnes. “He’s easy to maintain.’’
While Vasari is a c4 horse in a race that has horses graded up to c9, Barnes says with the right horse and draw, the events are not hard to win.
The only horse in the field that has gone anywhere near Vasari’s 1:52 mile rate is Karinya Mully who clocked a 1:53.7 rate in her last-start win.
The fastest times run by the two horses drawn alongside him are 1:56.8 (Earl Jujon) and 1:56.4 (Oliver Winkle).
Lincoln’s Girl races at 6.53pm NZ time on Friday night.
Vasari races at 10.49pm NZ time on Saturday night.
More news in Harness
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Fine Cambridge double but Ray’s packing Lincoln Cove off to Matamata for scintigraphy
34 more meetings in the north next season as Auckland reclaims Friday nights
No way to sugar coat it - it’s tricky to predict what Sugar Ray will do on Friday night
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Major Achievement
5.19pm
“It’s his first race for a while and he hasn’t been setting the world on fire at the workouts. But he’s been racing better animals and this isn’t a stellar bunch. He’s a chance if things go his way. I’ve given Mathew Salaivao the drive.”
Race 1: Commander Lincoln
5.19pm
“He’s an average horse but the last time he raced here in amateur company he all but won. He’ll need luck from the second row but, while I couldn’t label him, he’s a runner’s chance.”
Race 5: Onyx Shard
6.59pm
“She got a bit sick for a while with a virus and I had to back off her. She seems over that now but I’m picking she’ll need a race. This will be like a glorified trial for her.”
Race 8: My Copy
8.14pm
“He came to the end of it so I gave him a little freshen-up and he seems in good shape again. It will be interesting to see how he goes fresh - he may need a race but he’ll appreciate the step-down in class. I’m running him here so he doesn’t come up against any bear cats first-up.”
Race 9: Lincoln Cove
8.47pm
“Hopefully he’s getting better but you’ve just got to take him on trust. He has ability but the desire has been sadly lacking. Zac will have to sit quietly on him as he broke when given only one tap with the stick last time. The small field will suit him as he won’t be too far off them. If he doesn’t make any mistakes, he’ll give them a fright.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 3: Leo Lincoln
6.43pm
“Maurice said he would have finished a lot closer last time than sixth (fourth or even third) had he not locked wheels at the 100. That took all his momentum away. He’s been holding his form well and he gets out well enough to use the inside draw. He’s a chance to get some of the money.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.39pm
“He did have marks on his boot after his last run and trying a spreader on him has helped. But he’s a real baby. He has real ability but he’s still developing mentally and physically and we’re still finding our way with him.”
Race 5: Lincoln Lou
7.39pm
“He’s racing well but he’ll find it tough from the outside draw.”
Race 6: Debbie Lincoln
8.07pm
“I can’t see her improving enough to give the Purdon/Phelan trio a fright. She can go (fast) enough but still has a lot to learn. The main thing for her is getting round safely. She’s put two in a row now so hopefully she’ll start improving.”
Race 10: Lincoln La Moose
9.59pm
“He had an excuse last time - he got wiped out on the first corner and that was the end of his race. I like him, he’s a nice horse, just not quite as experienced as Frisco Bay.”
Race 10: Frisco Bay
9.59pm
“I lean towards Frisky as the better chance of our two. You can’t fault what he did the other night at Cambridge, and he seems to be on the improve. He’s more reliable than Lincoln La Moose.”
Mark Dux’s comments
Saturday night at Albion Park
Race 6: Captain Nemo
9.40pm NZ time
“I rate him a good top three chance. I’m really happy with the horse. It’s a decent drop in grade for him and I think maybe we roll the dice, go forward, and take our chances. As long as he doesn’t have to burn stupidly off the gate, if he can find the top, they’ll know he’s in the race.”
