Mach Shard does the double

Mach Shard (Mach Three) performed what could be called a harness racing miracle when he took out his second Group One in a week, winning the $110,000 G1 Dawson and Harford NZ Messenger FFA at Alexandra Park in Auckland tonight.

After winning the Taylor Mile at massive odds last week, the Barry Purdon-Scott Phelan trained gelding is proving that even nine year olds can be top dog when they’re in the zone.

Driven inch perfect once again by junior driver Crystal Hackett, Mach Shard was given the perfect trip three back on the outside with stablemate and favourite Merlin up front doing the pacemaking. Inside the last 800 when Better Eclipse started to move, Hackett hooked Mach Shard to make his run three wide. Straightening for the run home Mach Shard still had to get past Merlin. No mean feat, but he dug deep and got up to win by half a neck from Self Assured who made ground late with Better Eclipse a head back in third.

“He thrived on his run last week and his track work and he was super again tonight. He was travelling peaches and cream the whole way again. I didn’t imagine I’d be going home with a Group One double on the old boy and doing it for two weeks in a row. He’s just a superstar,” Hackett told Jo Stevens on Trackchat.

MACH SHARD REPLAY

The winning time was 3-17.7. The race and New Zealand record of 3-13.1 is held by the 2022 winner Majestic Cruiser.

The win with co- trainer Barry Purdon’s seventh in the feature, alongside the wins of Sky Major (2015), Pic Me Pockets (2000), Montana Vance (1994), Chokin (1993), Christopher Vance (1991) and Melton Monarch (1981).

His father Roy Purdon trained the very first winner of the Messenger, in 1967 with Governor Frost which was driven by Peter Wolfenden.

Earlier in the night the stable fittingly gave their number one driver Zachary Butcher his 1000^th  driving win when Duchess Megxit won the Magness Benrow Sires’ Stake Three Year Old Heat.

“She’s a pretty cool achievement that I’ve never strived for. I’ve been very lucky to have such awesome people support me. It’s a huge thrill. My Nan’s in hospital at the moment a little bit under the weather, so it’s good to do that for her tonight,” Butcher said.

Butcher’s first winner Clonmel (Save Fuel) was at Alexandra Park in August 2008 for Sally Fleming.

236 of his winners have been for Barry Purdon, 128 for Peter Scaife and tonight’s win was his 100^th for Purdon and Phelan.

On the way to 1000, Butcher won the New Zealand Junior Drivers Premiership in 2012 and the Junior Drivers Championship in 2009 and 2012.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink