Captain Nemo has had the ultimate gear change and it is hoped he will race better as a gelding. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.
Captain Nemo torpedoed astern leaving Argyle to chase the diamonds at Albion Park
By Barry Lichter • 5 May 2023
Captain Nemo doesn’t realise it yet but he came back from the vet clinic yesterday minus some extraneous gear.
The five-year-old earned a small reprieve from being gelded with a close second last month but Brisbane trainer Mark Dux finally called time on his days as a colt.
“There’s no benefit for him being a colt. He’s better off a gelding, he’ll be a better racehorse.
“We did it at the clinic in case something went wrong, as he’s an older horse, but all’s well. He got home yesterday afternoon and, while a bit stiff and sore, he was very bright and is eating well.
“He doesn’t quite know he’s a gelding yet, that will take a month to six weeks (when his testosterone levels drop).”
Captain Nemo has won seven races in Queensland for Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street and their partners, often doing it tough, but lost form in the last four months and started to prove a bit of a handful.
“Hopefully he might turn the corner now and race like the Nemo of old.”
The newest stable recruit, Argyle, was gelded long before he transferred from Lincoln Farms to Dux and while his form has been patchy, it’s not through lack of trying, rather difficulty in finding the right race for him.
On Saturday night at Albion Park he looks to be up against it again, drawn badly in six against tough opposition.
“He has a shocking alley in a very strong race,” says Dux. “Some of these horses are going places.
“While he’s a nice horse, he’s not going to the top and you don’t win from bad draws unless you’re exceptional. You need the right trip when you’re going these fast times.”
Argyle paced a tidy 1:53.26 mile rate for 1660 metres last start but could finish only seventh behind Future Assured, who clocked a swift 1:51.3.
“I know he ran only seventh but I was really happy with the run. He was four deep from the draw then held up a couple of times.
“The winner is a nice horse but we ran second to it once so it’s not like we can’t go with it.” In his first start in the state last November, Argyle chased home Future Assured in the Group III Sunshine Stars Classic.
Dux can see Saturday’s race being run at another hectic clip with My Ultimate Byron again engaged.
“My Ultimate Byron could nearly lead the way it wanted to run last time, he couldn’t hang on to it.”
Dux says he’s really happy with Argyle and his recent work and, had he drawn closer to the inside, he’d have rated him some sort of a chance.
“From six you know you’re up against it though. I don’t expect him to win from there - he’d need a lot of luck and a good drive - but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him run well.”
Argyle races at 8.48pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
More news in Harness
Prince Lincoln spearheads record-sized team for Lincoln Farms at Cambridge on Friday
Ray cautions punters with no lead this time for Jekyll and Hyde colt Prince Lincoln
Two (not so) secret weapons help Lincoln Farms to $29,287 payday at Cambridge
Deb dresses her latest ‘Copy’ weanling in white and he delivers a Major coup
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
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.”
