Uncle Alex top Westport chance

Press, 26 December 1985, Page 17

Uncle Alex top Westport chance

By

G. K. YULE

One of the.gamest performances seen in. the slower classes in Canterbury for some time was the win of the Buller-owned and trained three-year-old, Uncle Alex, at the Rangiora. meeting last Saturday. As a result, he will prob-; ably start favourite in the Westport Retailers’ Cup, the . feature race on the opening day of the Westport Trot: y ting Club’s annual meeting today. . Uncle Alex fought off several attempts to wrest the lead from him at. Rangiora . and, after being headed, by Gina Rosa inside the last. 200 m, he came again with a gritty run to, win narrowly. The distance of 3200 m should be well within his reach and: the only doubt about his prospects could be his ability to handle a soft track should such conditions ■prevail. ’ ' . Lunar Dawn .fought: on strongly for fifth in a sprint at the Rangiora r meeting.

7; • V . .- ■•*• ■ ■ -77.. ">’! 777 1 ' . She has been racing to good J purpose lately and is overdue for a win, which could come on the holiday circuit . The Marshland trainer, 7 John Vincent, has found the . Westport meeting a profit-" able one in the past, having , won this event with Ansett in 1982 and . Spangled Lord in 1983. His big hope will be • Lordshipman, to be 'driven . by Marta Perriton. His form background is just so-so, tat.: he is better than that might - suggest and he has to be respected. ' ■ . •« v Should the track become?; boggy, Go Duke "wifr'coma into favour. Two years ago ;. he plodded his waythrough atrocious conditionstowfo over 3200 m at this meeting in a dismally slow. smin : 7 18.1 s. A fourth has been his ?' best .run from his last six. starts,*but on a heavy.track he could be one for odds. ? Gold Row, Bogart Command, Gleniti, World of Fame and Quarter Shares are others capable of adding interest to the ’finish of an • open race. ’ ' j - -1.'...'...—