Lockwood and Vincent loom as a new training force

By Glenn Davis

The training partnership of Barry Lockwood and Emma-Jane Vincent is fast becoming a new force on Brisbane’s racing scene.

Since their joint venture started in October last year, Lockwood and Vincent are striking at 17.6 percent with 12 wins from 68 starters.

However, Lockwood believes their success is no great surprise.

“The strike-rate is good, but it’s a bit low so we’ll need to change that,” Lockwood said.

“The training partnership was really only a name change as we’ve been together for around nine years.”

Lockwood has been based at Eagle Farm for 14 years after starting training in Tamworth.

He trained for many years at Tamworth before deciding he had had enough of the cold mornings and long travelling.

He moved to Sydney and later Port Macquarie and once worked as a foreman for former Sydney premiership-winning trainer Paul Sutherland.

It was during his time in Sydney when he struck up a friendship with former Kiwi trainer Brian Smith, of Balmerino fame, who was about to open a Brisbane stable based at Eagle Farm.

"I had 30 years in Tamworth and worked in Sydney as foreman for Paul Sutherland for a couple of years," Lockwood said.

"When I left Sutherland, I was unemployed for half-a-day when I ran into Brian Smith at Warwick Farm races one day.

"He asked if I wanted to go to Brisbane as his foreman, but I had to stay in Sydney for family reasons, so I stayed there as his foreman for a year while he moved to Brisbane."

Lockwood and Vincent are hopeful their strike-rate can improve when they saddle two starters at Eagle Farm on Wednesday.

Lightly race six-year-old Cho Oyu starts in the Class 5 Handicap while Noire Emperor lines up in the Ratings Band 0 - 65 Handicap.

Lockwood believes Cho Oyu will be competitive over 1350 metres following his all-the-way win first-up in a 1200 metre Benchmark race at Beaudesert on December 31.

“He’s won four of his nine races, but he was a late starter and was only broken in as a four-year-old,” Lockwood said.

“His owner is a breeder and he left him in the paddock as he was only lightly boned at the time.

“It’s probably been beneficially for him to have all that time off.

“He’s only had nine runs in two years but he’s a tough little fella and he might be able to pick up one of those minor Listed races during the winter carnival.”

Cho Oyu will be ridden by Luke Dempsey who recently returned from a trip home to Ireland.