Angus Garrard takes the reins behind Captain Nemo again at Albion Park on Tuesday evening. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
Battle stations for Captain Nemo at last but all main vents won’t be opened just yet
By Barry Lichter • 21 August 2023
Trainer Mark Dux is expecting a good race from Captain Nemo on Tuesday even though he hasn’t lined up for nearly four months.
Dux will produce the five-year-old in the ninth race at Albion Park without a recent trial but says he’s ready to go.
“I’m very pleased with him, he’s training really nicely, and I’m sure he’ll run a good race even though he’ll obviously be better for it.
“It’s not an easy race - there are some decent horses in there - but, with the right trip, he can run top four.”
Five of the eight runners in the up-to-rating 90 1660m race are rated higher then Captain Nemo (R74), with two of them, Dark Terror (R83) and Hy Voltage (R87), in peak form.
“There looks to be a bit of speed out wide. If they go hard, we’ll come out steady, hope to get a nice trail and be hitting the line. We won’t be trying to over drive him.”
Captain Nemo hasn’t been seen on the racetrack since April 29, when he ran last of 10, prompting his gelding, which had been in the offing for some time.
It had been four months since his last win during which time he had become more difficult to handle.
But the horse took some time to recover from the operation and he was given a month off to let the swelling settle down.
Nemo joined his Lincoln Farm mates, Tommy Lincoln and Argyle, who were also recovering in the paddock from campaign setbacks.
Untimely setback
Tommy Lincoln’s slip on the training track proved untimely on the eve of the Brisbane carnival, especially as he had just trialled in a 1:51.8 mile rate.
Dux believes the horse strained or tore a hamstring muscle, which saw a large haematoma develop on his leg.
“For a while we couldn’t get it down. We drained it but it filled back up again. When it finally burst again by itself, it drained properly.
“It’s starting to look pretty good and he should be back in work in early September.”
That’s about when Argyle should be ready to trial and race again after a foot abscess wrecked his campaign, forcing a lot of his hoof to be cut away.
“The foot is looking really good now, it’s grown down a lot. Hopefully, we’ll have no more issues now.”
Captain Nemo races at 7.22pm NZ time at Albion Park on Tuesday.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 4: Tyson
6.59pm
“He was tough again in winning last week. He’s trained on well, is in good shape, and should be right in it.”
Race 4: Sugar Ray Lincoln
6.59pm
“He’s finally getting his act together - he’s gone three good races in a row - and seemingly turned the corner. We’ve had a lot of (vet) work done on him, his feet in particular, and it’s paid off. There’s not much between him and Tyson.”
Race 5: Rivergirl Bella
7.23pm
“She’ll need everything to go her way from the draw. But she’s got a bit of speed. She’s getting there. She wasn’t very strong before and wasn’t tracking too well, but she’s driving right now.”
Race 5: Lincoln Linda
7.23pm
“She’s had a few issues, mostly mental ones, and is still a bit of a handful. It wasn’t very pretty last week but we’re slowly getting her under control. The outside draw might actually help her.”
Race 5: Angelic Copy
7.23pm
“She needs only a half decent trip to feature. She got held up a little bit in the straight at a crucial time last week and that was that.”
Race 6: Prince Lincoln
7.49pm
“He’s drawn the best of ours in three. He got cheated for a run last week. It’s hard to know where he’d have finished without that.”
Race 6: Lincoln Lover
7.49pm
“Ferg reckoned if he’d been able to hold up in the trail last week he would have won. He was very bullish about how he’d gone. The draw’s no help but he can do a bit of work. He’s an honest little guy who saves his best for when the money’s up on racenight.”
Race 6: Johnny Lincoln
7.49pm
“He got a bit keen last week but he should be a lot better this time. He’s still learning and he’s a slow learner. When he does things correctly he’s a pretty nice horse. Hopefully he can get a suck into it from the second row draw.”
