Captain Nemo, outer, rallies bravely last week to just go under.
Second row draws make it tricky on Saturday night but Nemo and Argyle are in great trim
By Barry Lichter • 2 February 2024
Argyle and Captain Nemo both went close to winning at Albion Park last week but second row draws on Saturday night could consign them to collecting only place money again this week.
Argyle’s effort to run second to $151 outsider Murphy’s Reward last Saturday thrilled trainer Mark Dux after he launched on a solo three wide run from the back and came up only half a neck short with a 55.44 last half.
And Captain Nemo was also right at the top of his game, rallying bravely in the run home to finish just 4.4 metres and half a head from the winner Windy Hill Wally after being given a sweet one-out-two-back trip by gun junior Angus Garrard.
Dux fancies Nemo as the better winning chance this week but says whether he can break through in the fourth race will be determined by the tactics employed by the driver of the pole horse Stormtide, whom he follows out.
“The one horse has gate speed, if they want to use it, and if he leads that would be perfect for us. But I’ve got the feeling he will hand up, because they did that on Tuesday and he ran a good second.
“If they take a trail, it puts us three fence, which is still a winnable spot, but we’ll need the leaders to go strong and we’ll have to get the run at the right time.”
Dux expects Nemo to run top three but says he’s primed to win as soon as he gets the right trip.
“He just kept coming last week - he doesn’t give up very often - and Angus thought he could have won had another horse not take the inside run he was aiming for.”
Dux doesn’t believe his other runner Key Largo can beat Nemo the way the pair worked this week.
“It’s his first run back for a little while and he’s a weird horse. He can run, and he’s won nearly $200,000, but he doesn’t always go as well as he should.”
Argyle (10) sustains a long run to just miss.Top three
One race earlier, Argyle also looks a top three chance and Dux says he’ll be driven conservatively to earn the biggest cheque possible.
The way the race sets up, Dux says pole runner So Sirius should lead and OK Boomer, behind him on the gate, should trail, which is why they’ll start favourites.
“Argyle will find it hard to win from two the second row but if we go straight to the fence he’s a good chance to run top three. We just have to hope they go hard the last half so the ones out wide get off the bit.
“If he stays in the running line, and they go slow, he’s no hope as he’s against pretty decent horses.
“I reckon they kept So Sirius for this race as it’s a $21,000 stake, and he’s been lucky enough to draw one. He ran second last time and sat outside the leader.
“I’m sure he’ll be trying to lead but the one who could upset things is Jaccka Wally, who has a lot of gate speed. He could charge out and cross but he can do things wrong and the driver couldn’t chase him out the other day because he put in a few funny steps.”
Argyle will be handled by a new driver in Trent Dawson with Garrard sticking to Bangkok Deejay, winner of his last three starts.
“Bangkok Deejay can win again depending on how the race is run. But if So Sirius leads and backs off the pace, he probably can’t beat him.”
Argyle races at 9.50pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
Captain Nemo races at 10.22pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
More news in Harness
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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.”
