Purdon rates his star pairing

KIWI trainer Nathan Purdon’s confidence varies between his stable harness racing stars Don’t Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) and Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) heading into the stellar Hunter Cup meeting.

Purdon admits there is a genuine query as to whether Dont Stop Dreaming is as good as when he ran a slashing second to Leap To Fame in last year’s Hunter Cup.

“He’s not the easiest horse to train or get right for big races because he’s got his issues with his feet and joints,” he said.

“I also think the NZ Cup run behind Swayzee took a lot out of him and he hasn’t quite been the same since. He gave it everything he had that day.

“The signs have been better in recent weeks and that’s why we’ve sent him across, but the draw hasn’t been kind and it’s a bit of a wait-and-see for mine to exactly where he’s at.

“He showed last year what he can do at his best, but he’s got to prove he’s back at that level.”

Dont Stop Dreaming will also need plenty of luck from an outside front row draw (gate seven). He will move into six if emergency Hector doesn’t gain a start.

“He’s now reliant on a lot of speed and being able to get the right sort of trip. He’ll need a lot to go right now, but if it does, he’s a top three chance in what looks a very strong race,” Purdon said.

Dont Stop Dreaming arrived in Melbourne late last night (Wednesday) with stable foreman Brooke Wilkins.

Purdon’s Hall of Famer father, Mark, heads across on Saturday to drive Dont Stop Dreaming and Oscar Bonavena in the Great Southern Star series.

In contrast to his wariness with Dont Stop Dreaming, Nathan Purdon is bullish about Oscar Bonavena’s chances.

“He’s just a marvel,” he said. “Like Dont Stop Dreaming, he’s had a lot of issues and has been difficult to train, but for some reason, he’s just been fantastic for the past 12 months.

“I don’t think he’s ever been sounder or felt better than he has right now. We’re going there expecting big things from him.”

The retirement of Just Believe and absence through injury of Callmethebreeze leaves Oscar Bonavena as the real established star of the Great Southern Star.

But the nine-year-old faces a challenge from barrier five in the first and strongest of the two heats, especially with main danger and recent Inter Dominion winner The Locomotive drawn the pole.

“We’d love to win the heat, but on paper it’s not going to be easy and we’ve come to win the final,” Purdon said.

“He’s got a stack of gate speed if Dad wants to use it, but I suspect with The Locomotive drawn where he is, he may not want to cut him loose in the heat.

“He’s just got so much speed, I’m sure he’ll qualify for the final and then we can hope the draws go our way.

“Regardless, he’s just in such a great place at the moment, he’s going to be hard to beat.”

Purdon confirmed Dont Stop Dreaming would stay in Melbourne for Saturday week’s $100,000 Group 2 Cranbourne Cup before a final decision was made on a possible trip to Sydney for the Miracle Mile.

“We just want to see how he gets through this couple of Melbourne runs before locking in Sydney,” he said.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Lachlan Mitchell, for Harness Racing Victoria