Nathan and Mark Purdon partnership to end ahead of 2026 season

The two Metro Finals at Alexandra Park tonight will give punters a glimpse into Nathan Purdon’s future.

The talented young trainer and his father Mark will end their training partnership at the end of the month, which doubles at the finish of the 2025 harness racing season, with Mark taking a step back from fulltime training.

That had been his plan two years ago when he moved north to live in Matamata but the champion trainer has stayed training with Nathan to help him set up his business.

But Mark’s recent trip to Canterbury for a hectic spring reminded him that fulltime training of a large team is no longer his main focus in life so he will step down from the partnership and train a handful of horses mainly based in Morrinsville, headed by Akuta and Oscar Bonavena.

Nathan will continue to train at his new Pukekohe base, from where he prepares Look To Da Stars and Arden’s Memory, the two favourites for their respective $35,000 Metro Finals tonight.

“Dad was finding the tie to the day to day running of the stable and the travelling needed to work the Auckland horses and keep in close touch a bit harder than he had expected,” says Nathan.

“Ideally I would have appreciated another season perhaps but he will still be playing a major role in our setup. 

“His advice and assistance will be valuable for us even if his name isn’t on the licence and he is keen to continue race driving. 

“He will also be helping us select the yearlings so his involvement will still be valuable for us.”

“He intends to cut back on his commitments to that level and it is understandable in the circumstances.

“We will have around 20 horses in work here, with capacity of around 25 and plenty of really nice young horses.”

While the father and son will still officially be in partnership until January 1, Nathan trains Look To Da Stars (R1, No.8) at Pukekohe and he has looked back to his best with two huge wins in recent weeks.

He has always looked an open class trotter in the making and if he behaves himself tonight he should be able to work forward in the middle stages and dominate his opponents, with Father Barry the obvious danger.

“We think if he stays trotting like he has been he could be an open class trotter next year.”

Arden’s Memory (R4, No 4) faces a bigger challenge the pacing final tonight but was able to sit parked for the last 1100m of her heat so is the one to beat in a race that could be decided by the pressure inside the first lap.

Tonight’s meeting also hosts two good fillies and mares races, one for trotters and the other for pacers, as natural lead-ups to next Friday’s two Group 1s, the Queen Of Hearts and Queen of Diamonds.

Both have three-year-old filly favourites with Ya Rite Darl needing to regain her manners and beat some smart older mares in the trot but Arafura is the last-start winner of the NZ Oaks and should be too good in the Caduceus Club Northern Breeders Stakes.

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by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand