Captain Nemo, second from left, is racing far better than his form line suggests. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
Forget the form line, Nemo is in Saturday’s race at Albion Park ‘right up to his ears’
By Barry Lichter • 26 April 2024
Captain Nemo’s 00 formline might not instil much confidence but he’s in Saturday night’s race at Albion Park “right up to his ears”, says trainer Mark Dux.
“I rate him a good top three chance,” Dux said of the Lincoln Farms’ five-year-old who drops from a band 5 race to a much weaker field made up of up to rating 70 pacers.
Captain Nemo is rated 71, but gets into the sixth race courtesy of claiming junior Nathan Rothwell and what he does from the six alley could determine the outcome of the race, says Dux.
“I’ll leave it up to Nathan to decide, depending on how the horse feels, but I think he’ll probably want to run the way he’s been feeling in his work.
“I think maybe we roll the dice and take our chances. As long as he doesn’t have to burn stupidly off the gate, if he can find the top, they’ll know he’s in the race.
“Sometimes going forward from a wide draw can be your undoing and the only worry on Saturday is I’m worried Allmighty Max might try to hold from three. He won a trial the other day in 1:52.8.”
But Dux says if Captain Nemo goes back and they dawdle, like last week, his chances are nil.
When the leader ran an opening quarter in 32.1, and another in 30, Dux says that was the end of Nemo, who beat only one home.
Despite running good sectionals again - Nemo ran the fastest first half (60.93) and middle half (57.12) and the second fastest last mile (1.56.8), driver Adam Sanderson said he simply couldn’t get into the race.
“I told him to make sure you have him ready to go at the half. He came in and said he was ready but had nowhere to go. He had no choice but to go back to the inside and hope for luck.”
Rothwell will be having his first drive on Nemo and Dux says he’s warned the youngster the horse will feel like nothing in the warm-up and just flop around.
“If he’s still like that in the score-up I’ve told him to drive the horse quietly and, if he has to be the first to make a three wide run at the bell, sobeit.
“It’s a winnable race, I’m really happy with the horse.”
Captain Nemo races at 9.40pm 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.”
