Up periscope! Captain Nemo set to open all main vents in $30,000 Albion Park feature
By Barry Lichter • 28 October 2021
Captain Nemo is racing so well, trainer Mark Dux will give him a shot at a A$30,000 Group III race at Albion Park in a few weeks.
And in the meantime Dux believes Lincoln Farms’ tough pacer has a royal chance of landing the money in the third race there on Friday night.
Dux could not have been more impressed by Captain Nemo’s bravery last Friday night when he started a solo run three wide at the bell and was there for the remainder of the 1660 metres yet was still beaten only by 2.4 metres in fourth.
“For a fleeting moment on the corner I thought he was a bit of a hope and right on the line he was picking them up again,” Dux said.
“He was beaten only a couple of metres and he ran the fastest last half, 56.12, after being wide all the way. He’s going terrific, he has a lot of guts.”
Captain Nemo recorded the fastest closing sectionals in the race last week, making up 11 metres on the leaders over the last 800 metres despite being solo three wide.
Dux believes Captain Nemo is well up to tackling the $30,000 three-year-old feature on November 13, especially as it is over the longer trip of 2138 metres.
Last week he was really put to the test over 1660 metres, when he barely had time to catch his breath after the opening rush before Dux had to get on his bike round the field.
“I had to get up there before they started to sprint. It’s too hard trying to make ground when you’re giving them too much of a start.
“There’s more chance they’ll settle over 2138 metres. I would imagine we’ll end up parked at some stage on Friday. If they come out slowly, he could be there in the back straight the first time. He’ll be awfully hard to beat if he gets there early without having to do too much.”
Dux says Friday’s field is good and strong - a rating 70 to 85 compared with the previous week’s 63 to 71 - but he’s sure he’ll be competitive.
“It’s just a matter of where we lob. It’s always tricky to assess where you’ll end up but if there’s good speed early in the race so I’ll just let him float out of the gate and play it by ear. It will just come down to getting a bit of luck.”
Meanwhile, Lincoln Farms’ stablemate Tommy Lincoln is having a couple of weeks off after showing Dux last Saturday he had had enough in the meantime when only sixth behind former Lincoln Farms’ flag bearer Northview Hustler.
“Normally Tommy keeps coming but he couldn’t finish off last week. He’s had a lot of hard racing and just needs a wee freshen-up.”
Captain Nemo races at 9.52pm NZ time at Albion Park on Friday night.
More news in Harness
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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
Bang! Lincoln Wave’s tyre blows out, startling rival drivers but Alabar win would shock more
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.”
