Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
New South Wales-bred pacer Jawsoflincoln excels in short-distant events, and his trainer Justin Prentice is planning to start him in the $31,000 Members Sprint over 1730m at Gloucester Park next Friday week.
“He’s got good form over a mile,” said Prentice after Gary Hall Jnr had driven Jawsoflincoln to an easy victory in the $31,000 Nova Nation’s Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
After a comfortable lead time of 37.7sec. when Jawsoflincoln, the $1.40 favourite, easily won the start from the No. 2 barrier and then withstood an early challenge from $17 chance Steel The Show, who dashed forward from the outside barrier in the field of eight.
After modest opening quarters of 30.6sec. and 29.9sec. Jawsoflincoln dashed over the final 400m sections in 27.1sec. and 27.8sec. to win by two lengths from $5 chance Ragazzo Mach, who trailed the pacemaker all the way and ran home solidly. It was an excellent run by Ragazzo Mach at his first appearance for 22 months.
“It was good to see Jawsoflincoln in front on the rails,” said Prentice. “He hasn’t had too many ideal draws since he has been here. But he has had two good draws from four starts in this preparation and has got the job done (with two wins).
“He hasn’t been driven with a sit this time in. But he showed how he can perform when racing with a sit when he won the Nights Of Thunder last January.”
Jawsoflincoln enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position before finishing strongly to win the 1730m Nights Of Thunder, rating 1.53.1 and beating Chal Patch and Tiger Royal after final quarters of 27.7sec. and 27.6sec.
Jawsoflincoln now has raced 45 times for 19 wins, nine placings and $178,109. He has won at three of his nine WA starts after one Victorian victory and 15 wins in South Australia, including success in the SA Derby at Globe Derby Park in April 2022.
He is by Art Major and is the eleventh foal, and easily the best, out of American-bred mare Lincoln Room.