Billy Lincoln free-wheeling in front for Hayden Barnes at Albion Park in Brisbane. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
They’ve got their eyes on our Billy Boy already and a hat-trick looms at Albion Park today
By Barry Lichter • 14 October 2019
Billy Lincoln is already on the radar of an overseas buyer after two easy wins since arriving in Queensland and the rapidly improving three-year-old looks well placed to make it a hat-trick at Albion Park this afternoon.
New York owner Keith Quinn is scouting for more horses from trainer Al Barnes after his first buy Vasari scored a dominant fresh-up win at Saratoga last week.
And if rookie Billy Lincoln continues to impress, he could also be headed Stateside.
Billy is expected to start a red hot favourite from gate two in the third race today, at 4.47pm NZ time, after pointless wins in his opening bouts.
First-up, over today’s distance of 2138 metres, he scored by almost 10 metres in a 1:58.7 mile rate, and last time he led almost throughout over 1660 metres to clock a 1:54.3 mile rate, never tested to get home by nearly eight metres.
“He should find the front again and give them something to chase,” says Barnes.
“He’s got enough speed to hold them and, from what he’s shown so far, he’ll only have to run up the straight in 28 to be very hard to beat.”
Barnes says the opposition is slightly stronger than what he faced in his last start annihilation. “He’ll have to step up a bit - the horse of Grant Dixon’s Saint Kilda Beach goes all right.
“But we’re getting him into a nice routine, he’s happy and eating well, and he’ll run very well.”
Billy Lincoln, still learning what racing is all about, surprised even Barnes with the turn of foot he showed last time, looping the field effortlessly a round from home.
“Imagine what he might do in six months when he’s learned what life’s about?” Barnes said.
Billy Lincoln races at 4.47pm NZ time at Albion Park today.
More news in Harness
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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.”
