Captain Nemo shipshape again, says Mark, but it will all come down to luck from bad draw

A very wide draw has thrown a spanner in the works but expect Captain Nemo to go a much better race at Albion Park on Tuesday than he did when debuting in Queensland.

Lincoln Farms’ three-year-old ran a shocker as a $2.30 favourite on June 25, dropping out to beat only one home after hanging in badly and racing roughly round every turn, not allowing driver Anthony Butt to get him closer than three wide for the entire trip.

Butt told stewards during a post race inquiry that the horse raced ungenerously because he was hitting his knees round the bends.

But Lincoln Farms’ Ray Green and now caretaker trainer Mark Dux have sorted that issue, fitting a burr to the horse’s inside rein.

“He’s been good working with it at home,” says Dux. “If he hangs again the next thing to try is a pole but I’ve been very happy with him.”

Captain Nemo hasn’t raced since that inglorious first-up attempt because he tied up but Dux says he’s now on top of that problem.

“He’s got a terrible alley - the outside of the front line - but if he gets a reasonable run he can win.

“It’s not the best field, but they’re not no-hopers. There are a couple in there that go OK. If he was going one-on-one he could beat most of them but it will all come down to luck from that draw.

“If he had brilliant gate speed you could burn across, but he doesn’t, so he’ll have to work into it at some stage.

“If he can get a nice run into the race, he’ll be amongst it.”

Captain Nemo, who is the equal top rated horse in the field and will be driven by Paul Diebert, left New Zealand in career best form, notching his first win at Alexandra Park, after only being able to win previously against Cambridge (three times) and Manawatu company.

And in his second last start at Auckland he beat all but the pomising Art Nouveau, who rounded up a strong field to win the Futurity Final at Auckland last Friday night.

Green has always had a bit of a soft spot for the Captaintreacherous colt, whom he predicted would strengthen into a useful performer for Lincoln Farms owners John and Lynne Street, Gareth Paddison, the Green Machine Syndicate, Grant Dickey, Peter Dougherty and Ian Middleton.

Captain Nemo races at 6.12pm NZ time at Albion Park on Tuesday.