Mark takes a turn in the sulky behind luckless Captain Nemo at Albion Park tonight
By Barry Lichter • 24 September 2021
The outside of the second row is no fun zone to be starting from at Albion Park but at least trainer Mark Dux says Captain Nemo should be able to clear traffic from there tonight.
Dux will take the reins himself behind the horse in the third race after his luckless run last week when Paul Diebert was quizzed by stewards over why the hot favourite became buried three deep on the markers and was never able to secure room in the run home.
Diebert came out of the gate conservatively, conscious that when he lit the horse up early the previous week he over-raced terribly, was going backwards before the home turn and ran 51 metres last.
Trainer Mark Dux … “With average luck he’ll be right in the finish.”Diebert told stewards he thought he could secure the leader’s back without driving the horse hard but was unable to raise enough speed, was crossed by a rival, and became trapped on the inner.
“He’s still looking for a run,” Dux said today of Captain Nemo who ran sixth.
“I think he would have won easily, he was going half pace.”
Captain Nemo drops in grade tonight - last week he took on rating 70 to 85 rivals and tonight he is the highest rated horse in a rating 56 to 62 race.
“It’s not an overly hard field, it will only be the traffic that stops him. He’ll be a long way back early but at least he’ll have every chance to get going when he wants to.
“With average luck he’ll be right in the finish.”
Captain Nemo races at 9.40pm NZ time at Albion Park tonight.
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Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 3: Jessie Lincoln
5.44pm
“She normally runs on better but, after looking like she was going to round them up on the turn last week, she just flattened out. But she’ll be hovering around there somewhere.”
Race 5: Lincoln Maree
6.55pm
“She’s such a tough little filly who tries so hard. I wish I had one with speed with those qualities. It would be nice if they go hard, and she gets a suck along, then she might get a small piece of it. She never goes a bad race.”
Race 5: Angelic Copy
6.55pm
“She’s been going all right but she keeps getting awkward draws and getting pushed back to the rear. Because of her initial success (as a two-year-old) she’s been badly off in the ratings but she’s slowly losing points.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
6.55pm
“He’s a serious winning chance. He’ll go forward from his outside gate and try to dominate again in front. He’s not just winning, he’s demolishing them.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.45pm
“He got fired up at Cambridge with the long delay and, after he went forward to get a position, Fergie was just a passenger. When they pull that hard they don’t run on. He’s been racing well and can’t be ruled out if he gets a good trip.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.45pm
”If he gets a half decent trip, he’s the one to beat. Ignore the Cambridge run last week from a stand. We know what he can do from the mobile.”
