Drum’s programme

Press, 22 October 1981, Page 23

Drum’s programme

PA Wellington The 1981 Wrightson .Horse of the Year, Drum, will be restricted mainly to weight-for-age events in his build-up to attempt to win the $150,000 Auckland Cup for the second successive year. Speaking from Hastings his trainer, Don Sellwood, said he will have to steer clear of the major handicaps preceding the Auckland Cup this season as any success would risk an increase in his cup weight.

Last season Drum went close to taking the triple crown series by winning the Waikato Cup and then running sixth in the Avondale Cup before scoring in the Auckland Cup.

■ The same series is being run again this year with a bonus of $200,000 for any horse who can win all three races, but Sellwood said Drum is unlikely to tackle either of the first two races this year. Drum’s new campaign could start at the Napier Park meeting at the beginning of next month. From there he could go on to contest either the $14,000 weight-for-age Levin Cup

Stakes (1400 m on November 18 or the $25,000 weight-for-age Great Britian New Zealand Stakes (1600 m at Ellerslie before being stepped out over more ground. And looking beyond the Auckland Cup, Sellwood said he hopes to take Drum to Sydney next autumn with a likely mission of being in the $200,000 Tancred Stakes, won this year by the Matamata mare, Blue Denim. The horse will, as usual, be ridden by Chris McNab, who had a successful day at Trentham on Saturday.