The festive season has been good to Kembla Grange trainer Paul Murray – a half dozen winners from his past 11 runners including features at the happy hunting grounds of Moruya and Wagga.
It is a roll he would like to continue as the well-bred Our Royal Egyptian graces the first meeting at his home track for 2107 on Tuesday.
“It has been a good couple of weeks. There is always plenty of racing on at this time of year and if you place your horses right you can get some results,” Murray said.
“Our Royal Egyptian is a horse we have a bit of time for but he is still a bit new and will benefit from the run. He is going to get better at a mile but this will be another step on the learning curve.”
O’Reilly Revenge’s win in the Ted Ryder Stakes at Wagga just before Christmas and Count Dekroner’s in the Moruya Town Plate on Monday have lifted the spirits of the Murray stable.
“We have a couple of nice horses going through their grades and we are looking at the Provincial Championships with a couple of them,” Murray said. “Those country cups meetings are always special to win at.”
He has added the tongue tie to the gear of Our Royal Egyptian after he only beat one home at Canterbury resuming and expects improvement.
The son of Fastnet Rock out of well performed Our Egyptian Raine came to the stable just before his father Bede died last year.
“The bloke who owns it had been promising the old man a horse for years and this bloke is the one he sent. He is taking a bit of time but he is going to be all right,” Murray said.
“He needs the run on Tuesday, just to bring him on again. He is a bit one-paced and he will rolled forward, even from the bad gate [of 14], he is capable of sticking on well and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him give them a bit of shock.”
View the fields, form and race replays for Kembla Grange here.