Easy week ahead for Uncle Remus

Press, 21 August 1978, Page 18

Easy week ahead for Uncle Remus

Special correspondent Auckland If the trainer, Colin Jillings, has his way, Uncle Remus will be doing nothing this week to warrant any of the excited attention he received at Te Rapa on Saturday. Uncle Remus was allowed a day off yesterday and according to Jillings will not be out galloping on the grass before next Thursday. Even then he will certainly not be asked to go hard. Jillings will be allowing

Uncle Remus time to get over his comeback race in the Foxbridge Plate, not that the run harmed him in any way, before preparing him for the Bardstown Stakes, a weight-for-age 1600 m at Avondale on September 2. It is about a fortnight afterwards that Uncle Remus is booked to be flown to Melbourne.

Jillings was quick to declare after the Foxbridge Plate that the planned Melbourne campaign for Uncle Remus was still on, even though the horse had come in only tenth. Earlier in the week he had warned that Uncle Remus was not yet ready to win and in that regard his mind was made up more when he saw just how heavy the track had become. Jillings and stable rider, Bobby Vance, had hoped, though, that Uncle Remus would keep up close to the pacemaking for a good part of the 1400 m. As it happened Smart Fella was too quick for him altogether.