Royal Sceptre cup fancy at Kurow today
By
J. J. BOYLE
In the Glen’s win in the Timaru Cup on Friday puts some gloss on the form of Royal Sceptre, as applied to the Washdyke chestnut’s chance in the Kurow Jockey Club’s P.G.G. Kurow Cup today. In the Glen was all out to beat Royal Sceptre over the Kurow Cup distance of 2000 m in the feature race at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Christmas meeting. Yet the Riccarton mare was good enough to come back to 1600 m and adapt to
weight-for-age conditions in beating Canterbury Belle and others in the Timaru
Cup. Royal Sceptre, an elder brother of the talented Orb, had a promising career interrupted with leg trouble but after surgery he came back at about this time last year with a placed run against sprinters at Wingatui.
He won twice last autumn, and has kept his record moving with placed runs this season in a fairly light programme of racing from the Pat Corboy stable.
Allez Bijou is a form runner for Otago, and the Ashburton-trained Amacola advanced up the list of chances with a close second to Kade in the Dunedin Jockey Club Handicap on Boxing Day. Black Arrow has been racing over shorter trips, but his best chance of making the grade at 2000 m would probably be on one of the smaller tracks like Kurow’s.
His lead-up race for this was a fair fifth in the Timaru Cup. _
As winner of his last two
races, efforts that told of his versatile qualities, Cellarmaster is one of the more formidable of Royal Sceptre’s rivals today. He showed front-running powers for his most recent win at Wingatui.
His victory two starts back was achieved on different footing on a rainaffected track at Omoto.
Johnny Alone has the sharp speed to pose problems for the others in the Wrightson Handicap, second leg of the T.A.B. double.
His latest performance, when favourite at Riccarton, was far below his best and might best be regarded as an isolated lapse. His previous start yielded a second against some top sprinters in The Stewards at the New Zealand Cup meeting.
Tirana and Red Rolfe are competent sprinters running for North Canterbury stables, and the Oraritrained Cadmium will find this easier than the 1600 m and the class of the opposition in the Timaru Cup.
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Press, 30 December 1985, Page 25
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393Royal Sceptre cup fancy at Kurow today Press, 30 December 1985, Page 25
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