Classy trotter renews Purdon connection

Victorian harness racing trainer Nathan Purdon couldn’t believe his luck when he was offered the opportunity to take over the training of super talented former Kiwi trotter Enhance Your Calm.

The five-year-old spent its early racing in the care of his father Mark Purdon, who with Natalie Rasmussen formed the formidable All Stars Team in New Zealand. The horse made it two wins from two runs for the younger Purdon when he scored impressively at Melton last Saturday night.

“He was a brilliant two-year-old, when he won his first seven race starts so I was well aware of his class,” Nathan Purdon said.

“I’m based at Dean Braun’s Lara stables, and he’d given the horse three starts late last year after it came over.

“Dean is aiming to keep his numbers down and decided to concentrate on training horses of his own—and that’s when he asked me if I’d like to take over Enhance Your Calm.

“We’ll race him again at Melton in a fortnight while he’s still in a lower grade. After that we’ll have to make some serious plans.”

Enhance Your Calm (Majestic Son-All Settled Down (Sundon) is a winner of more than $225,000 and is raced by well-known owners Danny and Joanne Zavitsanos along with Warren Viney.

Purdon and his girlfriend Mikayla Lewis have been at Lara for nearly six months. Lewis had a healthy strike rate when driving in New Zealand and they have recruited another ex-Kiwi in talented reinsman Stuart McDonald as their right-hand man.

“We are loving it. I actually spent 12 months here working for Dean in the past and I liked the set-up and the area,” Purdon said.

“Mikayla is a junior driver with a five-point concession so we’re hoping she might get some opportunities, and Stuart is a really good driver who is starting to pick up a few outside drives.

“We’re usually doing numbers around the 15 mark, which includes young ones. Craig Turnbull has just finished breaking in five babies that we got from the sales, so we’ll just filter through them —those that need more time and those that aren’t good enough.

“I’ve still only got a handful of owners and it’s always hard to draw more in. But I consider we’re pretty lucky at the moment to have two other nice horses in Amazing Dream and Spellbound.”

Purdon headed north a few weeks ago to be based temporarily in New South Wales to avoid border restriction complications as he targets the Queensland carnival with his two “big guns”.

Spellbound, a winner of three of her four starts at Melton after crossing the ditch, got first prize at Menangle on Saturday night in the Group three Ladyship Stakes.

Purdon is now looking toward a few more quality races for Spellbound, including the $100,000 Group One ‘Golden Girl’ event at Albion Park on July 17.

Amazing Dream, owned by US-based owners Marc Hanover and Gordon Banks, is likely to head straight into the new $250,000 Group One The Rising Sun on Saturday week.

Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen are taking an indefinite break from the sport, but Purdon is trying to lure his father into taking the reins.

“Dad is up holidaying on the Gold Coast, and I have asked him if he intends to stay around. It would be awesome if I could twist his arm,” Nathan said.

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink