Merlin and Don’t Stop Dreaming NZ’s best Cup chances

Merlin (Art Major) and Don’t Stop Dreaming (Bettor’s Delight) appear to be this country’s two leading chances in tomorrow’s $1,000,000 harness racing feature at Addington, the Group One IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup.

Don’t Stop Dreaming is Mark and Nathan Purdon’s sole runner in this year’s race.

“He’s 100%. He was a wee bit ‘unders’ going into Ashburton. He’s come through that race super and is in a really good place. Dad worked him on Sunday and he hadn’t worked him for quite a long time. He was very impressed with where he was at,” Nathan Purdon said.

The four year old entire who was a brave second behind Merlin at his last start has drawn favourably at five tomorrow.

“He’s got all the strings to his bow and can be put in any spot. Blair (Orange) can ask him to do some work then he can drop the bit, fall asleep then be asked to go again. He’s got all the attributes of a top horse. He’ll be put into the race at some point and will get in there with his chance of winning if he gets no bad luck. He’s a big hope.”

Purdon says Merlin, Don’t Stop Dreaming and Swayzee appear to be the three leading hopes for the race.

“It probably comes down to how genuine the race is run and what sort of run Swayzee gets.”

Merlin was impressive when winning the Group Two Ashburton Flying Stakes and his trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan have just been ticking him over at his home base.

“He doesn’t have to go to too many places to get ready. He’s as good as he can be and we hope it’s good enough on the day,” Phelan said.

He says the main thing is to get Merlin away from the stand and from there it’ll be up to driver Zachary Butcher to plot a path.

Butcher will be looking to win his first New Zealand Cup, a race that’s eluded the talented reinsman so far. He’s had eight drives in the time honoured feature and the closest he got was in 2013 when Pembrook Benny trained by Purdon finished fourth.

Purdon and Phelan’s other runner in the Cup is veteran free legged pacer Mach Shard (Mach Three) who will be starting in his third New Zealand Cup.

“He comes into the outside of the front row with the scratchings. I’ve been happy with him this campaign and if he can run top five it would be like a win for us.”

Barry has won the New Zealand Cup four times with his father Roy: Sole Command (1977), Luxury Liner (1988), Christopher Vance (1991) and Chokin (1993).

After he impressively won the Kaikoura Cup, the connections of Mo’unga (Bettor’s Delight) decided to press on and start him in the IRT New Zealand Cup.

“The drive really won it (Kaikoura Cup). He (driver Robbie Close) didn’t panic early and let him relax. We know we’re up against it in the Cup. The first thing is he has to go away and then he’s going to have to settle. He can’t over race over two miles against the top guns. Ideally we’d like to see him step and to get on someone’s back as quickly as possible and hopefully he can finish the race off,” Todd said.

Todd said the New Zealand Cup wasn’t high on the priority for Mo’unga but that changed after Kaikoura.

“With the way he won with a bit in hand (it) changed our minds. He’s only been racing for eighteen months so he’s a bit of a baby really.”

Todd has had two runners in previous New Zealand Cups with Thefixer finishing seventh in 2020 and Terry eighth in 2021.

“I have a share in this one so it’s quite exciting owning one in it.”

Generally known for his casual attire the question is will Todd don a tie on Cup Day?

“I’ll go to the Salvation Army shop and see if I can track something down (laughter).”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink