Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Lincoln Lou, unplaced at his final five runs as a three-year-old, returned to racing after a four-month absence in a blaze of glory at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
From the awkward barrier at No. 6 Lincoln Lou was a hot $1.10 favourite in the Westside Auto For Your Tyres Pace over 2130m, and he revealed his undoubted class with a splendid victory.
Emily Suvaljko restrained him early while the early pace was slow with a 38.7sec. lead time and opening quarters of 32.1sec. and 29.9sec. as $14 chance Beat the Bank ambled along in front, with Lincoln Lour in fifth position, one-out and one-back.
Suvaljko bided her time before sending Lincoln Lou forward with a three-wide burst with 550m to travel. The New Zealand-bred four-year-old dashed to the front 130m from the post and won comfortably by a length from Beat the Bank, rating 1.58 after final quarters of 27.5sec. and 28sec.
That was Lincoln Lou’s second win from nine starts in WA for trainer Michael Young, and he is set to improve considerably on his record of 30 starts for five wins, nine placings and $98,680.
“The slow early time was against us, and he performed well to win,” said Suvaljko. “He has had a good spell and has come back really well. He is a high-speed horse who is at his best when driven as a sniper at this stage of his career.”
Young and Suvaljko were supremely confident about Lincoln Lou’s prospects after the four-year-old had beaten star mare Penny Black in a track workout on the Jandakot track on the Tuesday before Friday night’s race.
“We had only one whip between us, and I gave it to Michael, who was driving Lincoln Lou in the workout,” said Suvaljko. “Penny Black, who doesn’t work in a hood, led, with Lincoln Lou taking the trail and gaining the upper hand in the late stages.
“Penny Black is just happy to jog around in her workouts, and she obviously races a lot better than she works.”