What better than a day in the sun at Marburg - and Trojan Banner red hot to win the Derby

Marburg. It’s not quite a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town but with a pub, post office and corner shop it’s not much more. Population 873 at the 2016 census.

You’ll find it 60km west of Brisbane. Ipswich is only 17km away if you’re lost.

A historic old town dating back to the 1870s it draws weekend sightseers to its beautifully restored heritage buildings and drinkers to its 1881 hotel.

If you’ve had a few too many you’re lucky that if you fall into Black Snake Creek which winds through town there isn’t much water in it these days.

The Marburg hotel dates back to 1881.Al Barnes has been living in these parts for the last 10 years, ever since he separated from his wife and moved to Fernvale 20 minutes away to work for trainer Darrel Graham.

A roofer by trade, Barnes wanted to give his sons Hayden and Brendan a future in horse racing.

And on Sunday, the boys, now both successful drivers, and partner Cassie will load up the float and take Trojan Banner, Miss Blue Glory and old trotter Monorail just down the road to the Marburg Showgrounds for the big local Sunday race meeting.

Barnes doesn’t win too many races at Marburg, where the battlers and grass roots of harness racing generally pick up just enough to keep them going.

“I’ve been in that situation myself so I like to leave those races for the people who need those wins.

The Marburg community centre was originally the town’s bank.“Besides it’s too good a day to be working when you can sit around and have a beer and enjoy the day with your mates. People will come from all around and there could be a couple of thousand here. They’ll be five deep on the rail.”

Barnes says with a derby and an oaks on the programme for the first time in ages, he’s put Trojan Banner and Miss Blue Glory in to try to win the double. “It would be fantastic to win such a prestigeous local race.”

Trojan Banner looks completely thrown in with only seven lesser rivals in the A$7500 Marburg Derby Country Classic (2200m), two of them maidens and three who have won only two races each.

But Barnes says on the small 700 metre Marburg circuit, with its short 150 metre home straight, he’ll still have to earn the win from the second row.

The Woodlands of Marburg mansion was built in 1890 and overlooks picturesque Marburg Valley.“There are a couple in there who go nicely and they’ll test him. We’re not across the line yet, the track might bring him back to them. The turns are quite good, not too tight, but it’s very much show racing here, lots of push and shove.

“We won’t be going forward three wide and killing him, we’ll drive him quietly and let him run on.

“He’s quick enough to come with one run from the 600 and sustain a long sprint.”

Barnes says it’s hard to run fast sectionals at Marburg but he has had one pacer record a low 28 for a quarter. The track record for 2200 metres is a modest 1:59.1 mile rate.

“But he’s a good horse and he’ll be hard to beat.”

For Barnes, that could be the understatement of the year. Trojan Banner, winner of his first seven straight in Queensland, was massive when fifth in the Queensland Derby two starts back, coming from the second row to record faster final sectionals than the unbeaten All Stars’ winner Self Assured.

Marburg racetrack is 700 metres with a 150 metre home straight, but the turns aren’t too tight.And on Tuesday at Albion Park, against a much better field, he simply had to do too much work in the running, working hard three wide round to the chair and battling into seventh.

“The derby definitely didn’t knock him round at all and I think I was even a bit too light on him. He was a bit too fresh on Tuesday and pulled up a bit tubby. I was rapt with the run.”

Barnes isn’t quite so sure about Tuesday winner Miss Blue Glory, a Lincoln Farms graduate, who has drawn the inside of the second row in the A$7500 Marburg Oaks Country Classic.

“My main concern is how she’ll handle the track. She’s been pacing well at the 1000 metre Albion Park track but she’s not the cleanest pacer and I don’t know how she’ll go on a tighter track.

“But if she’s OK she’ll go close to winning too.

“Whatever happens we’ll have some fun.”

Trojan Banner races at 4.26pm NZ time at Marburg on Sunday.