Ron Quinton will head into unchartered waters with luckless gelding Royal Celebration, who will be on a seven-day back-up for the first time in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup.
Early punters are confident he will handle it, backing him from an opening quote of $4.60 to $2.90 favouritism by Friday.
Quinton likewise says the signs are positive that Royal Celebration has pulled up well from his third to Rocha Clock at Randwick last weekend when he was three-wide throughout but kept finding right to the line.
“You never know until you do it but there’s no indication that he has taken a backward step,” Quinton said.
“He is very well, he looks great, he has eaten well. He’s done everything right to say it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Having been plagued by wide gates for much of his career, Royal Celebration has drawn ideally in barrier four for Saturday’s Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) where Sam Clipperton replaces a suspended Andrew Adkins.
The race emerged as a likely target when early nominations were light, although Quinton is wary of top weight and Villiers Stakes winner Greysful Glamour.
“When the nominations came up a bit short we thought, if he came through last Saturday well, that we’d give it a crack,” Quinton said.
“Greysful Glamour is the benchmark in this race. She is a very good mare and she’s bloody hard to get past.
“And Archedemus, he won this race two years ago, but my horse will be very competitive, as he always is, and we’re hoping we can win.”
Archedemus was successful for Gwenda Markwell but is now with Team Hawkes, which has claimed two of the past three renewals of the Cup with Amangiri last year and Kingsguard in 2018.
