Blue bloods lead home Purdon/Phelan G3 quinella

Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan continued their fantastic start to the 2024 feature harness racing season with a stable quinella in the $50,000 IRT Young Guns 2YO Trotters Final at Alexandra Park this evening.

Father Patrick gelding, Higher Power, came out victorious among a boutique field of six talented juvenile trotters, displaying some of the talent that saw his dam High Energy (Muscles Yankee) crowned two and three-year-old filly of the year on both sides of the Tasman.

Higher Power entered tonight’s 2YO trotting feature which was being held at Group level for the first time as the punters second elect with favouritism going the way of his stablemate, Meant To Be (Father Patrick).

He too is bred in the blue being the second foal out of G1 New Zealand Trotting Derby winner and 2018 NZ 3YO Filly of the Year, Luby Lou (Muscle Hill)

The pair had technically quinellad the two heats leading into tonight’s final, with the first going the way of tonight’s winner while Meant To Be although second past the post was deemed to have galloped in excess of 150m and therefore disqualified.

Meant To Be was impressive a fortnight ago in turning the tables on his stablemate in the last of the two heats with only a neck separating the pair and five and a half lengths back to third. On paper tonights G3 feature looked to be a two horse race and so it ultimately proved.

HIGHER POWER REPLAY

With 800m left to run the 1700m mobile sprint, the Purdon/Phelan pair found themselves dictating the action with Meant To Be leading them through and past the Showgrounds turn with Zachary Butcher in the bike.

Higher Power and Scott Phelan elected not to make use of the TSF Transport passing lane and hooked to the outside wheel of it’s stablemate for a rousing battle up the straight, ultimately gaining the upper hand in the shadows of the post for a narrow victory.

Trainer Barry Purdon spoked to Trackside’s Nicole Sims in the immediate aftermath of the race.

“There is not much between them, and there never has been,” said Purdon.

“I thought Meant To Be looked a wee bit fired up in the preliminary, and I think they will appreciate a wee break now. Higher Power has always been pretty solid and a lovely horse to work with.

“I think a bit of time will help them both,” he said.

Purdon conceded in an interview with Michale Guerin leading into tonight’s premiere meeting at Alexandra Park that a change of tact was needed for the stable to realise the dream run of results they are now encountering.

That meant more aggressively pursuing young stock at the sales and when it comes to securing classics calibre trotting talent, they needn’t look much further than the Breckon Farms draft.

While it cost them a pretty penny to secure the pair, with $265,000 spent in securing tonight’s lead duo, the proof is in the pudding with an early return on investment and the clear cut leaders of the 2YO male division thus far in the juvenile trotting season.

Ken and Karen Breckon have poured enormous resource into lifting the profile and bloodlines of trotters in New Zealand, and will relish the fact that the first four home into tonights North Island feature were bred and raised on farm and out of mares in which wore their silks.

The winning time for the 1700m mobile journey was 2:07.8 with a mile rate of 2:01.0 and a last half in 59.6, the last quarter was run in 29.6 and the margin of victory was a half neck.

For complete Alexandra Park results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink