‘The Kid’ reins Tommy to his best win yet but Mark warns it’s about to get a whole lot harder

Tommy Lincoln ran the best race of his career to win at Albion Park on Saturday night but trainer Mark Dux knows things will soon start to get a bit tougher.

Tommy Lincoln, who has now won four of his six starts in Queensland, and banked A$33,077, was forced to sit parked for the entire 1660 metre trip but showed real courage to power on for a 2.8 metre win in a fast 1:53.2 mile rate.

Star junior driver Angus “The Kid” Garrard was instrumental in the win, the horse’s 12th in just 35 starts, as he followed Dux’s instructions to the letter.

“We figured the one horse (Saucy Dreams) would probably hold so we decided to let Tommy roll out and just play it by ear,” Dux said.

Though Tommy Lincoln got a head on the pole runner, it was obvious Pete McMullen wasn’t going to hand up the front, so Garrard eased the horse right back off the quarters of the trailing horse.

Top junior driver Angus Garrard has Tommy Lincoln travelling comfortably in the death seat, well back from the leader.“We didn’t want to fire him up, because then you can’t stop him. I just told Angus to see if he could get the horse to relax.

“Angus said he was pretty good and it helped that the leader didn’t go too hard. If he’d gone 56 for his first half we’d have been in trouble.

“But it was to our advantage when he went 29.2 and 28.9 and then started to roll.”

That left Tommny Lincoln with plenty of punch, said Dux, and he was able to reel off a good last half mile.

“The leader went 55.1 and he was just off him so he would have gone 55 or faster.”

Garrard steadily closed in on Saucy Dreams and turning for home he had that horse well covered, and was easily able to stave off a late challenge from Fairy Tinkabell on a 27.6 last quarter.

So where does that leave Tommy Lincoln ratings wise?

“He’s now a band 3 horse, which means he can win two more races before he’s open company.

“But he could end up having to race the free-for-allers next week, it depends on how many horses are entered.”

Dux said if officials chose to handicap the horses under “divided conditions” Tommy Lincoln could be placed wherever they deemed to make a competitive race.

Or Tommy, who is in a great vein of form, could end up drawing badly if the race was handicapped on earnings in the last three starts.

“He’ll more than likely have to race the free-for-allers but we’ll just have to wait and see.

“All being equal he’ll run again next Saturday. He ate up well last night. I don’t do a lot with him during the week which is how Ray (Green) was training him. Why change a winning formula?”

Dux said he was surprised nobody had bought Tommy Lincoln.

“He’s got a bit of gate speed, he can sit on any speed, and he can run time. I’m bamboozled that we’ve still got him but he’s making money so we’re not complaining.”

Trainer Ray Green parades then yearling Tommy Lincoln for Arthur and Shannon Flay.Tommy Lincoln has now earned $97,515 in New Zealand and A$33,077 in Australia for Lincoln Farms owners John and Lynne Street, Ian Middleton, Shannon and Brenda Flay, Ian, Kathy and Daniel Parkinson, Debbie Sparks, Ray Menzies and Denis Ebert.

Shannon Flay, watching from her new home in Perth, posted on Facebook how the horse’s toughness continued to impress.

And she paid tribute to her late father Arthur who chose Tommy Lincoln from several other yearlings who were paraded for him at Lincoln Farms.

Tommy Lincoln won his first race just three weeks after Arthur Flay died and Shannon’s lucky charm ever since has been to have his wedding ring in her pocket when the horse races.