Argyle salutes at last and Mark confident he’ll keep the till ticking over in the next grade

Trainer Mark Dux is confident Argyle will remain competitive in the next grade despite taking five months to break his winning duck at Albion Park on Saturday night.

The five-year-old notched the seventh win of his career, but only his second in Brisbane since joining Dux when young gun Angus Garrard blasted him out of the trail turning for home and “put the field away in two hops.”

And while it was 14 starts since his last win, his consistency in having placed in eight of those points to his still being competitive now that he has advanced to band 5 and a rating 80, says Dux.

“He’s not the best horse Lincoln Farms has owned but he’s good and consistent in the right grade. He’s a good, honest horse and if you’ve got to drive him stronger, you can. He’ll keep placing and making money.”

Dux said it was crucial that horses picked up plenty of place money between wins - Argyle’s record now reads seven wins and 15 placings for A$89,343 in stakes.

“You don’t make enough money going bang, bang, bang. All of a sudden you’re in free-for-all grade and you’re not good enough to win any money.

“Who knows, with the right trip he might go bang again in his next start but you always know he’ll go out and race well, he’s never far off.

“He’s done a good job in that grade and he’ll be good in the next class too.”

Dux said after pole runner Mighty George held the lead tonight, allowing Argyle to trail to the turn, it always looked to be his race.

“He had to burn really hard early - they went a 26.7 quarter - and even though they went a bit slow down the back that helped the leader get us to the corner.”

Angus Garrard … has a clear lead in the state premiership. PHOTO: Dan Costello.Garrard aggressive

Garrard, in a typically aggressive drive, didn’t wait for the sprint lane, pushing out into the clear instead.

“Angus said as soon as he pulled out it was all over.”

And while the winning margin was only 2.4 metres, Dux said that was only because Argyle was up to his old tricks of taking his foot off the pedal once he hit the front.

“He chases well but once in front he kind of thinks it’s all over and lets the other ones get up to him.”

Garrard, wise to Argyle’s quirks, kept the favourite going to register his 45th win after only two months of the 2024 season, giving him a 14-win buffer over Nathan Dawson in the state premiership.

With three wins tonight, Garrard (20) has now won 726 races, a remarkable achievement in a short career.

“Angus goes to every meeting he can. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cheap meeting at Redcliffe on a Monday night he’ll go. He’d like 10 drives every night.”

Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street race the Bettor’s Delight gelding with David Turner, Barry and Marie Jones and the Friday Frenzy Racing syndicate, comprising Lincoln Farms’ business manager Ian Middleton, former Sylvia Park PAK’nSAVE owner Peter Jeffares, former All Black Bernie McCahill, Harcourts Wellington’s Mike Ledger and PAK’nSAVE ’s Glen Innes boss Rob Redwood.

The Friday Frenzy team bid $26,000 for 20% of Argyle when John Street offered the share to raise money for the Stroke Foundation at a charity auction in November, 2020.

Argyle’s win capped a great day for the Streets after their gallopers Lincoln Falls and Platinum Attack both scored at Otaki.