Mark: Tommy should be right in the thick of things again on Saturday night
By Barry Lichter • 9 September 2021
Bouyed by Tommy Lincoln’s excellent last start fourth, trainer Mark Dux can see Lincoln Farms’ charge right in the thick of the fight again on Saturday night.
And Dux can see one likely scenario that would put the reliable fighter in a perfect spot in the running of the fourth race.
Two weeks ago, from the widest alley, Tommy Lincoln was forced to ease to last, four back on the outer.
“It was near impossible for him to catch them from there,” Dux said. “If they’d gone quicker it would have been a different ball game.”
Tommy Lincoln’s closing sectionals were excellent last start.With the 2138 metres run only in a 1:55.5 mile rate, Tommy Lincoln did exceptionally well to close to 4.3 metres of the winner Our Uncle Sam, making up 10.7 metres on the leaders over the last 800 metres, three and four wide when mounting his run.
His closing 800 metres of 54.27 was one hundredth of a second slower then the winner and his final 400 metres of 26.75 was faster than Our Uncle Sam, who nosed out Will The Wizard and Mach Da Vinci in a blanket finish.
“I was really happy with his run,” Dux said. “They can all get home so quick but he’s only got to be a little closer in the running to beat them.
“On Saturday night I can see him getting a fairly good trip from five.
“If Will The Wizard holds the lead, like last week, and Crunch Time comes across - and there’s no reason they’d change their racing pattern - he could get the one-one and then he’d be right in the thick of things.”
Tommy Lincoln, who has won five of his nine starts in Queensland, rated 1:54.9 when winning over 2138 metres at his previous start. And three of his wins have been at 1660 metres, the distance on Saturday night, his best a 1:52.7 clocking in July.
Two of his wins have been with Saturday’s pilot Angus Garrard in the cart, the gun junior posting his 300th winner earlier in the week.
Dux reports Tommy Lincoln to be in good heart after a week out of the racing cauldron.
“He had an easy week last week but he trained well on Wednesday.”
Tommy Lincoln races at 9.42pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
More news in Harness
Prince Lincoln spearheads record-sized team for Lincoln Farms at Cambridge on Friday
Ray cautions punters with no lead this time for Jekyll and Hyde colt Prince Lincoln
Two (not so) secret weapons help Lincoln Farms to $29,287 payday at Cambridge
Deb dresses her latest ‘Copy’ weanling in white and he delivers a Major coup
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
