‘We’ve found Nemo’, fizzes commentator, after enormous run by Lincoln Farms’ weirdo
By Barry Lichter • 3 August 2021
About the only person who thought Captain Nemo could still win at Albion Park tonight despite being hung out three wide outside the leaders for the entire last lap was his former trainer Ray Green.
Back home in Pukekohe after a successful Brisbane campaign when Captain Nemo sat on the sideline there almost the entire time, Green watched the race with wife Debbie who, like most punters, declared he was history 600 metres out.
“But I told her he’d still win. He’s a strange horse with an unusual racing style and he loves a fight like that. He just sits outside them and says ‘stuff you’.”
Captain Nemo, now in the hands of Brisbane trainer Mark Dux, did just that, hitting the lead soon after turning for home and powering to a 3.3 metre win over Recipe For Dreaming.
The enormity of the win didn’t escape commentator Chris Barsby who noted the three-year-old ran a middle 800 metres in a sizzling 56.9.
“We’ve found Nemo,” Barsby said in reference to the Disney film Finding Nemo. “That was some win. He’s put them away easily.”
Green said he actually cursed driver Paul Diebert when he took the horse right back to the rear from his outside draw where he also copped a check from a galloping rival.
Captain Nemo toughs it out at Albion Park tonight after sitting three wide without cover for the last lap.“The horse has no gate speed but I thought he should have gone forward straight away. He mooches round, can sit two or three wide, doesn’t over-race, and worries them out of it.
“He just wouldn’t have understood what he had - that kind of run would put most horses to bed. But he’ll know the horse better next time.”
Green said Captain Nemo, who accompanied Copy That, American Dealer and Tommy Lincoln to Brisbane but raced only once, is capable of winning a lot of money in Queensland.
“He’s no champion but if he’s managed properly, and I’m sure he will be, he could win a lot of races.”
Green believed the horse hung so badly in his first race there in late June because he was hurting from tying-up.
“He has tied up on us in the past. Tie-up is a strange thing, nobody knows why horses do it and there are an enormous amount of theories about it. It could be hereditary. You just have to manage it.
“We changed his diet so he has no high energy feed at all. And he’s been trained out of the paddock for the last few weeks so he could mooch around a lot.
“He’s come right now and should be in for a good time over there. He’s better than what he’s shown.”
Tonight’s win was Captain Nemo’s sixth and earned $4568 for Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street and their partners Gareth Paddison, the Green Machine Syndicate, Grant Dickey, Peter Dougherty and Ian Middleton.
The Captaintreacherous - Arden Caviar colt started a $7 fourth favourite, and ran the 2138 metres in 2:36.3, a mile rate of 1:57.6.
More news in Harness
Johnny Lincoln’s big ticker will stand to him in the States and Lover’s also sold to Aussie
No Jumals to beat this time at the Park so Ray’s looking for Lincoln Wave to roll in
Lincoln Linda best of the night at Cambridge - she has the engine to cross Soul Artist
Cheapie Johnny Lincoln a “proper” racehorse who can foot it with the Million bluebloods
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.44pm
“She did well here last time as she had to do a bit to get to the lead and she dug in and fought on. She’s certainly a chance if she repeats that effort.”
Race 4: Lincoln Linda
7.09pm
“I thought she went super last time after doing a lot of work. She can do that because she has an engine and is tough. She’s a bit one-dimensional - you have to turn her loose early - but from the two draw she should be able to lead and that’s where she does her best work.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.34pm
“I think he’s a bit stronger after his spell. It’s not a great field - most will die on that mark - and I don’t see a problem with the standing start as he’s nicely gaited. He could be marginally unfit after three months out but he’s done quite a bit of work and I can see him going a half-decent race.”
Race 6: Lincoln Maree
7.59pm
“She had every chance last time but I can’t see why she won’t go well again. She’s as honest as they come and tries like hell.”
Race 7: The Night Fox
8.29pm
“You’d think he’d lead easily from the inside. He’s had bad draws and still got the money, so I’m sure he’ll go another good race. I’m surprised they sold him so cheaply. He’s better than people think.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Lincoln Wave
5.09pm
“With the trip he got in the Harness Million I thought he’d have run on a lot better. But he was still a bit short on fitness and sometimes we can expect too much of these horses, he was racing the best, after all. It’s a big drop in grade here and he’s a pretty fair horse.”
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.09pm
“He’s an honest sort who’s in a good space but he won’t get a wonderful trip from the outside of the gate this time so I’m not holding my breath.”
Race 3: Sammy Lincoln
6.04pm
“He’s training down well but you never know what he’s going to do. You think you’ve got him sorted and he does something silly. But we know if the real Sammy turned up, he’d be very hard to beat as he’s got a lot of speed.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
7.05pm
“He’s another where you don’t know which one will turn up but we’ve gelded him since his last run, so we’ll see if that helps. He trained well the other day.”
