Forget the form line, Captain Nemo can run top three tonight with an ounce of luck

His form line of 0006 might look bleak but trainer Mark Dux points to other numbers that give a better guide to Captain Nemo’s chances at Albion Park this evening.

It’s the sectionals the horse ran at his last start that Dux says make Captain Nemo a top three chance at lucrative odds in the last race.

On a rain-sodden track, Nemo finished on strongly to be only 8.4 metres from winner Art Jester, despite being forced to make his three wide run earlier than driver Angus Garrard wanted when a rival stopped in his face.

The horse clocked closing sectionals of 28.91 and 27.46, covering an extra 32 metres in the run, each quarter only one hundredth of a second slower than the winner.

Nemo was also clocked to run the fastest middle half in 59.2.

Drawn three on the second row, Dux knows Nemo will need the right tempo up front to get into the race.

“If they go stupid early, and we can get a nice tag into it, we won’t be far off. Parama, who has drawn inside us, might get going and take us into the race.

“We have to drive him quietly, we can’t be trying to make things happen every week or we’ll stuff him.

“We need him to pull up sound, come home in one piece and then he’ll be a chance again next week.”

Dux says Western Arterra, drawn two, is the obvious favourite after his strong-finishing recent efforts. But Nemo, the third highest rated horse in the race, needs only an ounce of luck to get some of the money.

“He’s trained on well and I have nothing to complain about.”

Captain Nemo races at 7.25pm NZ time at Albion Park on Friday night.