Barry Baldwin swears by legendary trainer Jim Atkins' advice

By Glenn Davis

Barry Baldwin has credited old advice from legendary Queensland trainer Jim Atkins for Spirit Of Beans’ unbeaten record.

The late Atkins was an institution in racing, he trained for more than 70 years, and was inducted into the Australian Hall Of Fame in 2010, just two months after he passed away, aged 94.

Spirit Of Beans will attempt to maintain his unblemished record when the four-year-old chases a hat-trick of wins in the male’s division of the Class 2 Plate over 1350 metres at Ipswich on Wednesday.

The son of ill-fated Spill The Beans was almost sacked on three occasions by Baldwin (pictured) before he produced a sudden turnaround to win a barrier trial at Deagon last month.

“He was doing nothing on the track and I was going to sack him at least three times,” Baldwin said. 

“Then I remembered what the late Jim Atkins once told me years ago.

“He said never sack a horse until you try two things.

“One was to start them at the old sand track at Albion Park, which no longer exists, and the other was to try blinkers.”

After failing by more than 22 lengths and 11 lengths in his first two barrier trials, Baldwin put blinkers on for his third, and likely last, trial over 1200 metres at Deagon in mid-July.

“There’s 24 letters in the alphabet and I had got down to X trying to fix him when I put blinkers on him,” Baldwin said.

“Kevin Thomas broke him in and tried everything to fix him before sending him to me with a warning.

“I galloped him on the dirt and everywhere but he went shocking until he popped up and won a trial at Deagon with blinkers and he hasn’t looked back since.”

Baldwin has retained jockey Les Tilley for Spirit Of Beans, who is coming off a dominant one length win over the Pat Duff-trained Bandit in a Ratings 0-58 race over 1350 metres at Ipswich on August 12.

“His syndicate of owners was going to disband until he won that Deagon trial,” Baldwin said.

“After the trial win, he won easily at Gatton with the blinkers on and he improved five lengths when he won at Ipswich.

“And I think he’s improved since then and will be hard to beat again.”

Spirit Of Beans has drawn perfectly in barrier one but faces his moment of truth against unbeaten rival Argyle Lane.

The Joshua King-trained Argyle Lane is a half-brother to Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise and is the last foal of his former trainer Steve Tregea’s Windemere Stud mare Miss Argyle who tragically died last year.