Dual Cup representation for Temperton

[Wandering Eyes]

Royal Flower has one cup to her name and she will be seeking to earn another for breeder-owner-trainer Gail Temperton when she heads to Trentham on Saturday to tackle the Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m).

The Foxton mare won her local cup last year and has subsequently run fourth in the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup (2100m) before an eye-catching runner-up result behind Rosso in the Gr.3 Trentham Stakes (2100m) at Trentham a fortnight ago.

Temperton was duly rapt with that effort and has been pleased with her mare’s progression heading into Saturday, but she is wary of the extra distance and her outside gate of 18.

“She was very pleasing (last start),” Temperton said. “I think she has finally matured, she is easy to get along with now, she wasn’t when she was younger.

“She will have Mereana (Hudson, jockey) on again, who rode her very well that day. We have just got to extend the distance, but it is a lot longer.

“On her dam side she has got a little bit of staying blood. The Proisirs (sire) can go the distance, but I don’t think I have seen any of them over 3200m.

“There are some very good horses in this field and they are real stayers. She will have to be at her best but will be doing her best, but the draw is no help.”

While disappointed with Royal Flower’s outside gate, in contrasting fortune, she is rapt with stablemate Procul Boy’s draw of barrier two in the John Turkington Forestry Douro Cup (1600m), although the last start winner’s impost of 59.5kg does have her concerned.

“He (Procul Boy) has got the good draw and half the distance, but he has got quite a fair bit of weight,” Temperton said.

“He is not a big horse, he is quite a bit smaller than her, so I would have liked to have swapped the draw and the weight. He has won with 59 on his back, but as you go through the grades it gets harder.”

“But he is a nice horse, the Proisirs are nice horses.”

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