Revealed: Why Hilary Barry loves her namesake but fears giving her a hug

Don’t ever expect to see Hilary Barry patting her namesake as lovingly as her Seven Sharp offsider Jeremy Wells swoons over the horse named after him.

But it’s not because Hilary isn’t excited about Lincoln Farms’ two-year-old, who makes her much awaited debut at Alexandra Park on Friday night.

Hilary, funnily enough, has a violent allergy to horse hair and says any major showing of affection on her part would result in bouts of sneezing and her coming out in hives.

“I’ll be watching more than touching when I see her,’’ says Hilary. “I might pat her with one hand but I’ll then have to go and wash my hands straight away.’’

As it turns out Hilary can’t make it to the track on Friday - she’s away in the South Island shooting a story - but she says she’ll be doing her best to find a TV or watch it online at 7.28pm.

“I’m very excited about her progress,’’ says Hilary. “She looks very tidy and, because Jeremy isn’t beside me at the moment, I can say she’s much better looking than his horse.

“Actually I had to severely reprimand Jeremy (after the last story) for saying I was a member of pony clubs as a kid and was very good at dressage.

“He’s such a kidder - I’ve only ridden a horse once in my life.

“But we’re finding this very entertaining. It’s such fun that it’s transpired that two horses have been named after us.

Hilary Barry, foreground, went across the line locked together with Jeremy Wells, left, when they clashed in a trial last month.“The ultimate would be for the two to race against each other and for Hilary to beat him.’’

That doesn’t look like happening in the near future however as Jeremy Wells had to slink back down south to Canterbury after disgracing himself when galloping on debut then beating only a galloper home in his second try.

Hilary, who has been to the races only once before - and it was so long ago she can’t remember when - is feeling quite smug abut the filly performing better than that on Friday.

Hilary Barry has been well schooled by trainer Ray Green, with seven workouts and trials over the last two months and, bad luck aside, she has shown plenty of ability.

In her last trial on January 5 she showed good gate speed to lead and looked to be travelling like a winner when one of her hopple carrier straps broke and tangled round her hind leg, sending her into a wild gallop. Incredibly, it was the second time it had happened.

From the inside of the second row she won’t be able to use that early speed on Friday night but Green is hoping she can get an economical run behind pole runner Emmber and get some of the money.

“She’s a lovely driving filly who you can put anywhere in a race and she does nothing wrong.’’

Green jokes that every time he says that something weird seems to happen to the filly but on the way she’s worked in the last two weeks, he’s confident of a bold showing in the first Young Guns heat for fillies.

“She should have the wood on my other filly, Beaudiene Blinkz. But she’s extremely honest and has a pedigree to lift her game on the day.’’

By Badlands Hanover, she is a full sister to 22-race winner Beaudiene Bad Babe and Beaudiene Boaz, winner of 25 races and A$1.25 million.