Purdon pair ready for big assignments

Purdon Racing has two very good chances in Rubira (Always B Miki) and Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) on Saturday night at the Inter Dominion Finals at Albion Park.

Rubira starts in the $150,000 Group One 2025 Ladbrokes Queensland Derby and draws the outside of the front row.

At his last start in The Rising Sun he finished seventh after getting back and making ground late.

“He seems great. He’s bounced through the run really well. Condition wise, he’s perfect. He hasn’t missed an oat since the race. I think he’s going in there full of confidence and where he needs to be to see out a race like the Derby,” said Nathan Purdon who trains in partnership with his father Mark.

The gelding will be handled again by Adam Sanderson and should be suited by the Derby distance of 2680 metres.

“I think so. He’s such a laid back horse. If he has to make a move and sit outside them at some stage it’s not going to be the end of the world. He’ll go to sleep out there until Adam tells him to get going.”

Purdon labelled Fate Awaits as the horse to beat in Saturday’s race.

“He’s a pretty smart horse. He’s drawn ideally to just be tucked in behind. He won’t have to do any work early. He might want to stay in front of Rubira so it might get tactical early. He’s the horse that’s done nothing wrong all prep. He’s got to be the one to beat.”

This time last year Sanderson drove Major Hot to win this race for David and Stacey White, so he’ll be looking at winning back to back Derbies.

It’ll be a big night for Glenys and Phil Kennard and Breckon Racing Syndicate. They have a share in both Rubira and Bet N Win who is the favourite for the Inter Dominion Trotters Final later in the programme.

Oscar Bonavena starts from the second row in the $500,000 ID25 Ladbrokes Inter Dominion Trotting Championship.

“It’s more than ideal for him. It’ll let him find his feet. Arcee Phoenix and Bet N Win are probably the two to beat but there’s no real standout. On his day he’s every bit as good as they are.”

Purdon says ideally Oscar Bonavena is better when driven for one run.

“You could move with him. If the pace slackened you could go round them. That’s what he did when he won the Dominion. He’s not completely sit and sprint but he’s certainly not one you’d want to be just going out and sitting parked.”

Mark Purdon has won the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship six times; with Winterfell in 2019, I Can Doosit in 2011 and 2012, Buster Hanover 1998 and Pride Of Petite in 1996 and 1997.

Mark owns Oscar Bonavena along with American trainer Chris Ryder.

“From the moment Dad bought him he’s had a big soft spot for him. He’s just a beautiful horse. For a stallion that’s gone out there and been collected from, you’d think he would have sparked up a lot. You can still walk fillies and mares past him and he doesn’t say anything.”

Nathan says Oscar in the best trotter he’s had anything to do with.

“He’s the fastest by a long shot. His speed is probably better than ninety percent of the open class pacers when it comes to point to point speed. It’s so rare for a trotter to have that.”

After Saturday’s race Oscar Bonavena will head home and continue to mix racing with his fledging stud career.

“I would say he would go through until the end of the year because touch wood he seems nice and sound. He’s happy and is enjoying racing. Probably it’ll depend on how many mares he gets. If he started to get a lot of mares, we might pull pin early and focus on that.”

Purdon says the excitement is starting to build in Queensland and he’s excited about the big night ahead.

“This is what you get up early in the morning for. The Interdoms, New Zealand Cups and Derby are really the pin- up events. It’s going to be a great night and just to admire some of the other great horses on the track at the same time.”

History favours the New Zealanders. New Zealand bred trotters have won 36 of the 49 finals and 30 of the 49 winners have been trained by New Zealanders.

We’ll see what unfolds this year.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink