Roydon Glen a firm favourite

Press, 31 January 1986, Page 20

Roydon Glen a firm favourite

Special correspondent Auckland

The top Christchurch pacer, Roydon Glen, looks sure to be a firm favourite in the main race at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting at Alexandra Park tonight. But it looks equally certain that he will not have things all his own way in the 2200 m Chardon Handicap. Placid Victor and Spanker On have been showing outstanding form, while Ben and Borana look to be striking top form at the right time and several others in the field have the ability to be prominent

All 10 horses are candidates for the $250,000 Max Harvey Auckland Trotting Cup on the second night of the meeting tomorrow week. The likes of Roydon Glen, Placid Victor, Spanker On and Borana are, of course, assured of a start

But the same cannot be said of some of the others especially as newcomers of the calibre of aOuf Mana, Malaz and pirob-

ably the well-performed Australian pacer, Quite Famous, are bound to be selected.

The Chardon last year was split into two races won respectively by Enterprise and Roydon Glen with a mobile despatch. It is an invitation affair this time, although all except Roydon Glen (10m) are on the front mark.

Roydon Glen seems to show his best form when he can take the lead fairly quickly and then set a strong pace. He may find it difficult to do this tonight, if Spanker On and Placid Victor, particularly, get under way smartly. Both are exceptionally . good frontrunners.

Placid Victor, the country’s top four-year-old, led all the way in the TNT New Zealand Mess e n -

ger on December 23, easily breaking the race record.

He went Imin 59.5 s when he scored an end-to-end win in a flying mile at Alexandra Park a week later and in his only race since, at Cambridge last

Friday, he broke the 2600 m track record when he ran away with the Tudor Hanover Stakes. Placid Victor was on 40m but he had reached the front inside 600 m. After that the race was a procession. Spanker On broke the Claudelands records for 2500 m and 2900 m in tremendous displays of front running when he took to the Huntly Hotel Mobile Pace—D.B. Waikato Cup double at the recent Waikato meeting. Roydon Glen is obviously in great form himself. At Addington on January 22 he fairly ran his rivals into the ground and returned the very fast time of 2min 29.3 s for 2000 m.

Whichever wins the Chardon Handicap it should be a thrilling race and a worthy lead up to next week’s cup.

Chief interest in the rest of the programme will be focused on the Air Pacific Mobile Trot.

Jenner looks like being the favourite but there will be heavy support for Indette, Empire Lobell any Mister Square.