Argyle will benefit from another conditioning run on Saturday night. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
Mark: Flat tyre no help to Argyle when resuming but he’s not ready to launch just yet
By Barry Lichter • 30 January 2025
Argyle didn’t beat a horse home when resuming at Albion Park last Saturday but he still earned a pass mark from trainer Mark Dux after carrying a flat tyre for the last 700 metres.
Dux had not been expecting much from Argyle in his first race for nearly 10 months after a suspensory injury but admits he first thought concession driver Alanah Richardson might have missed the boat at a crucial time.
“She had him ready to go, when (the heavily backed) Congo Line took off but you can see her look down at the tyre.”
Argyle battled away to the line, clocking 56.45 for his last 800 metres, and did not lose much ground on the leaders in finishing 17 metres from ex-Kiwi winner We Always Have Faith.
“I was more than happy with him through the run and he pulled up well, which is the main thing.”
Dux has replaced Richardson with another concession driver in Layne Dwyer this week, but not because she did anything wrong.
“She probably should have gone three fence early - if you’re not on the fence it’s so hard to win races, because they’re running such quick halves every week - but I’d have put her on again if she’d been driving at the meeting.”
Argyle is the second highest ranked horse in the field on an NR83 rating and gets into the band 5 race, courtesy of his junior driver.
Dux has confidence that Dwyer, 17, can do the job with 137 winners to his name.
“He’s driving plenty of winners but he’ll need luck from the bad (six) draw.
“He has no option but to go back, drive him quietly and finish on. The horse is not ready to launch and there’s quite a bit of speed inside him.”
Argyle races at 9.19pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 2: Sammy Lincoln
6.18pm
“He was checked and locked wheels into the first turn last week and he had a decent puncture wound in his leg from where they ran into him so you certainly couldn’t condemn him for galloping. He’s a really nice horse, who is going to win races quickly. He hasn’t missed any work, and should be right in it.”
Race 3: Lincoln Wave
6.43pm
“He’s drawn wide again (six) but he’s good enough to get the job done. It’s a bit more of a test for him but there are no cup horses in there and he’s a pretty nice horse. We’ve waited for both him and Sammy Lincoln because of their setbacks at two but it’s been worth it.”
Race 4: Johnny Lincoln
7.11pm
“He was very tough in winning after sitting parked last week. He’s awkwardly drawn again but he tries hard and, with a bit of luck and a good trip, he can get some of it.”
Race 6: Tyson
8.08pm
“Completely forget his run last week when he had no luck in the running. He’s a definite chance.”
Race 6: Spiritual Bliss
8.08pm
“She took no harm from the incident last Friday and has trained on well. I think she’ll go well. If you analyse her run, they went down the back in 27.8 and she did well to finish on for fourth after sitting parked.”
