Argyle in winning action at Cambridge but he is at a tricky place in the ratings now in Queensland. PHOTO: Chanelle Lawson.
Argyle over foot abscess but he has another bad draw to overcome on Tuesday evening
By Barry Lichter • 5 June 2023
Argyle had a good excuse for finishing only fifth at his last start but he’s still going to need a lot of luck to win at Albion Park tomorrow evening.
Drawn the outside of the arm in the eighth race, trainer Mark Dux says the horse will have to be driven quietly.
But he still expects Argyle to go a good race given what came to light after his last run on May 18.
“He was really sore the next day, he couldn’t walk.”
By the afternoon it was apparent an abscess was starting to blow out of his foot through a hole in the coronet band.
“He must have felt it during the race to be so sore the next morning. There was no indication of a problem before the race so obviously the run brought it out.”
The finding certainly helped explain why Argyle didn’t finish off his race as Dux was expecting.
“When he came out, and moved up really nicely, I thought he was going to be in the money.”
But when Argyle only battled up the home straight, at first Dux put it down to having his momentum stopped when a horse came out in front of him.
“Mathew (Neilson) just had to grab him for a moment and he couldn’t pick up again.”
The run took on an even better light when his foot problem surfaced.
Dux said it wasn’t like Argyle went badly - he still paced his last mile of the 1660 metres in 1:53.78 - pacing his first half in 56.91 and last half in 56.86.
Whether the horse will be quite as sharp on Tuesday is up for debate considering he missed a few days’ work while his foot recovered.
While you could never say for sure why the horse developed the abscess, Dux said it was interesting that his blacksmith noted he’d come across a number of horses with similar issues since the track surface at Albion Park was top dressed.
It was possible sand found its way into cracks in horses’ feet before it became packed down.
“I’m happy with him now but the run will do him good. We’ll drive him quietly early then play it by ear, depending on how he travels in the running.”
Dux said Argyle was in a tricky place in the ratings.
While he was the highest rated in Tuesday’s field, which was up to rating 70, it meant that under the preferential barrier draw he copped the worst alley.
To get relief in the draw he would have to race in a field of much better pacers, possibly up to rating 90.
Argyle races at 7.10pm NZ time at Albion Park on Tuesday.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
